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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26032714">Season One: Ties That Bind</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/robinwritesallthethings/pseuds/robinwritesallthethings'>robinwritesallthethings</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Henry Cavill Characters [20]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Witcher (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Being Bad at Magic, Biting, Body Worship, Breastplay, Canon Divergent, Canon-Typical Grossness, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Incest (Foltest and Adda), Drinking, Embarrassing Middle Names, Everyone Lives Basically Forever Except Jaskier I Guess, F/M, Family Reunions, Fantasy, Fluffy Interludes, Foltest is a Dick, Gen, Geralt Gives Presents, Geralt Has Fancy Hair, Geralt Loves Curves, Geralt Makes Dinner, Geralt Makes Violence Sexy, Geralt Reads the Room So Wrong, Geralt Says Cunt, Geralt Says Fuck a Lot Obviously, Geralt Sleeps Naked, Geralt Teases Jaskier, Geralt Teases OC, Geralt Tells a White Lie, Geralt is Amused by Sass, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia Talks to Horses, Geralt z Rivii || Geralt of Rivia Has Feelings, Geraltisms, Geralt’s Bulging Muscles, Group Hugs, Grumpy Geralt z Rivii || Geralt of Rivia, Guilty Geralt z Rivii || Geralt of Rivia, Hair Pulling, I Am Mostly Making Up How Magic Works in This Universe Because It Seems Kinda Vague, I Counted the Kikimora’s Height in Geralts Since He Was the Only Known Measurement I Had, I Made Up Some Shit About Kikimoras Deal With It, I Tried to Count the Kikimora’s Legs and Somehow Came Up with a Different Number Each Time, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Infertility, I’ve Studied All of the Witcher Lore and I Still Feel Like I’m Making Half of This Shit Up, Jaskier Calls Geralt a Eunuch, Jaskier Can Sew, Jaskier Eavesdrops, Jaskier Has a Sister, Jaskier Lights the Camp on Fire, Jaskier Sees Geralt Naked, Jaskier Shaves Geralt’s Face, Jaskier is Kind of a Slut, Jealous Geralt z Rivii || Geralt of Rivia, Just Kind of Gross Sometimes, Language, Loss of Virginity, Magic, Magical Conspiracy, Magical Experimentation, Marking, Mental Health Issues, Mention of Magical Persecution, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, Monsters, Multiple Orgasms, Necromancy, No Exploding Genitals, No Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer z Vengerburgu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, No Manners Geralt, Oral Sex, Original Mage Character - Freeform, Original Pankratz Sibling, Protective Geralt z Rivii || Geralt of Rivia, Protective Siblings, Revised Magic Lore Probably, Revised Werewolf Lore, Robin and Jaskier Had a Crappy Childhood, Romance, Romantic Nicknames, Rough Sex, Runaway Jaskier, Sarcastic Sassy OC, Scars, Self-Insert, Sex Talk, Sharing Roach with Geralt, Sharing a Sheet with Geralt, Sibling Bonding, Sitting on Geralt’s Pretty Face, Slow Burn But Emotional Because They Have a Lot of Sex, So Much Hilariously Inappropriate Jaskier, Soft Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Spanking, Still a Lot of Canon Just Reworked, Sweaty Geralt, Taking Baths with Geralt, Teacher Triss Merigold, Teasing, Telepathy, They Go All Over the Map, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Time Skips, Titties Out for Geralt, Training Montages, Unrequited Love But Not Really Since They Both Think That, Vaginal Sex, Villain Yennefer, Werewolf Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Werewolves, Wilderness Sex, Yes Geralt Has a Huge Dick But Let’s Be Honest We Knew That Already, Zombies, “Cardio” with Geralt of Rivia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:46:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>51,782</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26032714</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/robinwritesallthethings/pseuds/robinwritesallthethings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Several people find each other. It takes a while.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Original Female Character(s), Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Robin Ballard (robinwritesallthethings), Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Robin Pankratz (robinwritesallthethings)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Henry Cavill Characters [20]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1925797</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>136</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A mage confronts her master after overhearing something disturbing.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Bremervoord, 1239</b>
</p>
<p>Robin clutched the book to her chest with one arm, swallowing thickly as she stared at the man standing across from her. Her other arm hung limply at her side, her fingers twitching in anticipation of having to defend herself. Though she was sheltered in most ways, she wasn’t entirely naive. She knew it was going to come to that.</p>
<p>Melcedem clucked his tongue and shook his head at her. “Such a disappointment, my dear,” he drawled condescendingly. “Ten years of almost impeccable service and your training ends like this. I had higher hopes.”</p>
<p>“Ten years of being at your beck and call for minimal training,” she murmured back. “Ten years of fending off your disgusting advances. I should have been the one with higher hopes.”</p>
<p>“And what gives you the right to be so judgmental?” he snapped, not used to her arguing with him.</p>
<p>“Is it judgmental to ask for the consideration any human being should get?” she retorted.</p>
<p>Not that she had ever expected it from him. She had never gotten it from anyone else, save one person, and he was lost to her now.</p>
<p>Before Melcedem could answer, she accused him of the much more pressing issue she had just overheard. Her suffering wasn’t as important as this. “You’re conspiring with this Yennefer to murder all monsters.”</p>
<p>She hadn’t heard the whole conversation, but she’d heard enough.</p>
<p>“Murder?” he snorted, eyeing her as if she were a petulant child. “Monsters are monsters, my dear. They can’t be murdered. Only eradicated, as they should be.”</p>
<p>“They might be monstrous on the outside, but appearance doesn’t make a monster. Actions do. You’re a monster, even though you’re human and in control of your magic.”</p>
<p>“And you’re the authority, are you?” he teased her. “With your vast experience?”</p>
<p>“I’ve read every book in this tower, many of them firsthand accounts of your so-called monsters. That must count for something.”</p>
<p>He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not going to have a philosophical debate with you, my dear. You have clearly outlived your usefulness, and you know too much. Perhaps I will learn something from dissecting your body.”</p>
<p>She hadn’t expected that comment, but she’d been ready for his patience to run out. Though she’d never seen the laboratory behind him before, she knew how to use what was in it against him. She hadn’t used magic like this in a long time, but it was what she was naturally best at, despite its forbidden nature.</p>
<p>She raised her hand and pointed it at the flayed body of the alghoul on the slab behind Melcedem. The creature slithered off of the table before standing and lurching in her master’s direction.</p>
<p>This was a true monster. Naked and hairless, lumpy and pale, the tall, lumbering thing only had one driving force, the hunger for human flesh. As it took step after squelching step, its guts tumbling out onto the stone floor, she knew her animation magic would not last long.</p>
<p>But it didn’t have to. Melcedem was completely unprepared, and before he’d even turned the entire way around, he was screaming as teeth sunk into his neck. A torrent of blood gushed down the front of his drab gray robe and he fell to the floor, his eyes already glazed over even as he marveled at his apprentice’s hidden abilities.</p>
<p>The alghoul fell shortly after, letting out an unworldly gurgle. Robin shuddered as it hit the floor with a wet flop, then again as she looked at her dead teacher.</p>
<p>She didn’t want to speak to him again. He was the only person she’d spoken to for the past ten years, and that had been more than enough, even for her extended lifetime. But she had to find out what he knew. She had to extract what he could tell her.</p>
<p>Still clutching the book to her chest because it was far too important to lose, she raised her hand again. She tried to stay calm as Melcedem’s body rose from its spot on the floor, sliding forward in a grotesque imitation of kneeling.</p>
<p>When he spoke, it was in a sibilant whisper that echoed in the dank stone room. “Necromancer,” it warbled accusingly. “You never told me.”</p>
<p>She knew that he wasn’t actually sentient. It was simply that his last thoughts were preserved in his body for the moment. Since his body, unlike the alghoul’s, was relatively intact, he would stop speaking long before her magic expired.</p>
<p>But it was still unsettling to have him start as though they were having another one of their harsh conversations.</p>
<p>“I know necromancy,” he continued, his dead mouth twisting into something that may have once resembled a smile.</p>
<p>But with the giant hole in his neck pulling the skin of his face down, it was like looking at his reflection in rippling water. She was going to have more than a few nightmares about this sight.</p>
<p>“I’m going to kill you and resurrect your body to finally do the unspeakable things I’ve always wanted to you,” he sneered.</p>
<p>It was an empty threat. He was gone, and could no longer hurt her. She bit her tongue inside her mouth, steeling herself. There was no point in responding. It would just be a waste of words. So she waited, hoping he would tell her what she wanted.</p>
<p>“Yennefer is attempting to create a spell that will destroy all monsters,” he finally said. “But she does not begin to know how to design it. She also claims that the creation of such a spell is for her own personal glory, and the glory of anyone who helps, such as myself, of course.”</p>
<p>He sighed and his chest rattled. “I suspect her motivations. She trained at Aretuza, where they enchant mages before they are assigned. I think she is trying to cure her own infertility.”</p>
<p>He snorted and his tongue briefly fell out of his mouth. He slurped it back in and Robin found she was very glad she hadn’t eaten much for dinner as her stomach turned.</p>
<p>“She wants to find that blasted witcher, Geralt of Rivia,” he added.</p>
<p>Robin’s head tilted curiously. Even she had heard of Geralt of Rivia, the white-haired witcher who had unusual thoughts about what makes a monster.</p>
<p>“He’s not a monster. Not technically. He’s a mutant. Yennefer is intrigued by their use of mutagens, not his prowess as a monster slayer. His thinking is too abnormal for him to be useful that way. He would surely object to her plans.”</p>
<p>If she was going to stop Yennefer, and she firmly believed it was her duty to, perhaps she might have an ally in this Geralt of Rivia. But she’d have to find him first.</p>
<p>“I have one of the witcher’s hairs,” Melcedem revealed next. “At great cost, but the hair of a witcher can serve many purposes. It’s in the bestiary.” He paused. “Yennefer wants it. I don’t know if I’m going to give it to her. The bestiary itself is quite a prize. Perhaps I will see if she intends to cheat me before I mention the hair.”</p>
<p>Melcedem’s mouth fell slack and he let out a groan. His eyes rolled back into his head so she could only see the whites. Ironically, he was now the one who had outlived his usefulness. Robin let her hand fall and he slumped unceremoniously back to the floor, never to move again.</p>
<p>She straightened up, holding the book even tighter. She knew she had to leave. She had wanted to leave this place ever since she had arrived ten years ago. Now that she was faced with it, she was scared.</p>
<p>But she knew her fear didn’t matter. There was too much at stake. The sooner she left, the sooner she could find this witcher and see if he could help her.</p>
<p>She hesitated, glancing around Melcedem’s private workspace. She had only been allowed inside this room rarely, and just to clean. There was nothing here she needed, and though she could now see the obvious lever hidden behind a curtain that must open the secret laboratory, she didn’t want to change it back. She wanted his death to look like an accident, just in case.</p>
<p>As far as she knew, no one else was aware that she existed in this tower except for her family, and the only one who might have cared anymore was her brother.</p>
<p>Her heart clenched briefly as she thought of him.</p>
<p>Jaskier.</p>
<p>It was within her power to go see him again if she wanted to. But last year, she had overheard a passing merchant tell Melcedem that the only remaining child of the noble Pankratz family had run away from home. As far as she knew, he had never come back, and even if he had, asking him to accompany her to find a witcher and stop the creation of a heinous magical spell was far too dangerous. She wouldn’t do that to him.</p>
<p>Perhaps when all this was over, she could find him. Just see if he was all right. That would mean the world to her.</p>
<p>But for now, she had to focus. So she turned and ran through the hallway and up the stairs to her tiny room. She changed into her warmest clothes, which were hardly good enough for traveling at this time of year, but she would have to make due, and slipped on her scuffed and worn boots before braiding her long hair and twisting it around her head. She pinned it into place and then grabbed the only bag she had, a leather rucksack.</p>
<p>She put the bestiary inside it first. She didn’t have time to look at it now, but both Melcedem and the mysterious Yennefer had said it was important, so she wasn’t letting it out of her sight. Then she went down the stairs, two flights this time, to the small kitchen on the ground floor of the tower, filling the rucksack with whatever food she could find.</p>
<p>Her last stop was Melcedem’s office just by the tower exit. All his gold was hidden beneath the stones in the floor. She retrieved it and placed it all in a bag, which she tied to the inside of her skirt and then slipped into the pocket she’d sewn there so it wouldn’t jingle when she walked.</p>
<p>She nodded to herself. She had everything that would be useful to her from here. She set the bag down and removed the bestiary to look for the hair Melcedem had mentioned.</p>
<p>She found it pressed between two pages near the front of the book. It was threaded around a black ribbon so the white stood out. She tied the ribbon around her wrist tight so it wouldn’t come loose before replacing the bestiary in the rucksack and strapping it tightly to her back.</p>
<p>She could use astromancy with the hair to track the witcher, but it would be difficult without knowing the exact date and hour of his birth. And it was hard to know that even in one’s own family. Most people tended to keep the information a secret, or not record it at all, because of this type of magic. It was made even more complicated by a witcher, who, like a mage, could supposedly live for hundreds of years.</p>
<p>Still, the hair was the most important ingredient, so maybe it would still work. It might at least put her in his general area.</p>
<p>If she could make a portal work. Though most mages mastered portal magic early on in their training, she never had, largely because Melcedem hadn’t wanted her to know it so she could use it to escape him.</p>
<p>But she needed this. She needed the witcher. And this was the fastest way to get wherever he was, unless he just happened to be outside her front door, which she seriously doubted.</p>
<p>She shut her eyes and clamped her hand down over the ribbon. Geralt’s hair was rough against her palm, and she focused on it with a concentration even she hadn’t known she possessed.</p>
<p>“Take me to the witcher,” she murmured.</p>
<p>Speaking wasn’t necessary to the spell, but she felt that a little encouragement didn’t hurt.</p>
<p>She felt a whoosh, and then a sucking sensation. She was going somewhere. She just hoped it was the right somewhere.</p>
<p>As the portal disappeared, she stumbled forward, her feet tripping on some sort of crude wooden walkway. She couldn’t stop herself from landing ankle-deep in the bog at the end of it, but that wasn’t her biggest concern as she looked up.</p>
<p>Because she had arrived in a graveyard, and she was surrounded by starving necrophages.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Robin finds Geralt of Rivia, but their immediate situation isn’t exactly ideal.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Vizima, 1239</b>
</p>
<p>She knew they were starving because of the slavering howls that filled the air around her. A full necrophage, though it would still try to eat, was quiet and sluggish. These had clearly not had a meal in a while, and her sudden appearance must have whipped them into a frenzy.</p>
<p>Before she could even take a full breath, though, something grabbed her arm. She was about to scream when a deep, hoarse voice growled, “Where did you come from? Stay behind me.”</p>
<p>She didn’t catch a glimpse of the man’s face before he turned back around, but she didn’t have to to know who he was. His white hair billowed around his shoulders as he swung his silver sword in an arc, knocking back several of the necrophages.</p>
<p>The blade glinted in the moonlight as he brought it back to his chest. “Come and get me!” he roared.</p>
<p>His voice was powerful. A shiver ran up her spine and she blinked. Somehow, her crude spell had brought her directly to Geralt of Rivia. She could only guess that her desire had been strong enough to override the magical obstacles. Magic was primarily creative in nature, and a good imagination could skip over a lot if one got lucky.</p>
<p>She blinked again as several necrophages shuffled in front of her. She felt Geralt shift behind her, lowering his stance. A quick glance told her that there were more in front of him too. They were surrounded.</p>
<p>“Fuck,” Geralt muttered.</p>
<p>She was inclined to agree. Even though she’d really never been in a fight, she knew how to take care of herself. Melcedem may not have been the best teacher, but she was proficient, at least.</p>
<p>She turned sideways, throwing one arm around the witcher to raise the bodies of the necrophages he’d already killed and throw them against the others in a disorganized wave. With the other, she shot a gout of fire at the necrophages approaching her, burning them into cinders.</p>
<p>It was a risk to reveal that she could perform necromancy, but she was hoping that the witcher wouldn’t care, given the circumstances.</p>
<p>He pushed forward, dispatching the rest of the necrophages easily while they were distracted. Robin relaxed, realizing that they were the last ones. That hadn’t been nearly as bad as she thought it would be.</p>
<p>She immediately noticed, however, that Geralt wasn’t relaxing. She swallowed nervously and tensed, opening her mouth to ask a question. The words died on her lips, though, as he raised a gloved finger to his own to ask for silence.</p>
<p>“They’re not what I came here to kill,” he mouthed.</p>
<p>As if on cue, there was suddenly a rumbling sound that shook the ground. Geralt wasn’t fazed as Robin stumbled, and he turned to face what appeared to be the source of the sound, a partially collapsed crypt on a small, sagging hillock nearby.</p>
<p>She managed to stay on her feet, flinching as the rumbling grew louder and the crypt suddenly exploded. A gigantic creature staggered out, roaring immediately as it saw them both. Robin immediately recognized it, thanks to drawings she’d seen. It was a cemetaur, the largest and most dangerous of necrophages. A challenge to defeat, even for a witcher.</p>
<p>“Fuck,” Geralt said again, reaching into the pouch attached to his belt and grabbing a small bottle of thick black liquid. “You need to run and hide,” he ordered. “If you hear it stop, I’ve won. If it eats me, good luck.”</p>
<p>Instead of doing what he said, Robin stepped up beside him and raised her hands. The cemetaur roared again and lunged at them.</p>
<p>“Get out of the way!” Geralt snapped, lifting the bottle to his mouth and preparing to pull the cork out with his teeth.</p>
<p>But he hesitated as the cemetaur suddenly stopped, seemingly frozen in place. He turned to Robin in surprise, clearly impressed with her abilities, even though she was sweating and trembling with the effort of casting the spell.</p>
<p>“If you’re going to do something, do it now,” she said through gritted teeth. “I can’t hold it for long.”</p>
<p>He nodded once, slipping the bottle back into his pouch and striding forward with his sword. A few calculated strikes later, the cemetaur’s head hit the ground and Robin’s arms fell to her sides as if they were made of lead.</p>
<p>Geralt sheathed his sword and strode back over to her. She lifted her chin, though the effort the movement took felt monumental, and looked up into his dark golden eyes.</p>
<p>He stared right back. “Who are you, where did you come from, and why are you here?” he asked.</p>
<p>“I was looking for you,” was all she managed to say before she passed out, her knees crumpling beneath her.</p>
<p>Geralt reached out and caught her before she could hit the ground. He looked at her lolling head and slack jaw and knew she wasn’t going to be waking up for some time.</p>
<p>“Fuck,” he sighed.</p>
<p>He put his arm under her knees and swung her up against his chest, then began making his way out of the swampy graveyard.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Robin tells Geralt what she’s uncovered, but he is unmoved.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Outside Vizima, 1239</b>
</p>
<p>Robin’s eyes fluttered as she slowly woke. Her head was pounding, but the feeling quickly receded as she took a deep breath of fresh air and felt the warmth of the fire crackling beside her.</p>
<p>She sat up carefully. Her limbs still felt slightly heavy, but she could move, at least. She was very hungry, which wasn’t surprising, considering how much energy she’d used. She was amazed that she even remembered what had happened or where she was.</p>
<p>Or where she thought she was, at least. She’d been moved, obviously. She was in the forest, and it was very nondescript. It could be any forest anywhere.</p>
<p>She looked around and spotted the witcher. He was sitting down, leaning casually against a tree. The seemingly carefree stance was ruined, though, by the fact that he was still wearing his leather breastplate and gauntlets.</p>
<p>The silver amulet around his neck glinted as he turned a page of the book in his lap. There was a wolf etched into the metal. She knew that was indicative of where he had been trained. The School of the Wolf in Kaer Morhen. He was a long way from home, if that was where he considered home.</p>
<p>It took her another moment to notice that her pack was beside the witcher, and that the page he was turning belonged to her bestiary. She frowned, rearranging herself until she was sitting facing him.</p>
<p>As she hugged her knees to her chest, he spoke. “Most of your book is unreadable,” he wryly observed.</p>
<p>She had no idea what he meant, since she hadn’t had a chance to look at it yet. “It’s not my book,” she confessed shortly. “I stole it from my teacher.”</p>
<p>She wasn’t sure why she was being so blunt around him. She’d used her necromancy in his plain view, and she’d even kept that from her master. For a whole decade, no less.</p>
<p>His thinking seemed to be along the same lines. He smirked and glanced at her. “You’re just going to tell me you’re a thief?” he rumbled.</p>
<p>She’d thought his voice had been deep earlier in the cemetery because he was exerting himself, but it must have just always sounded like that. She found it oddly pleasing, despite his question. Perhaps it was his tone, which didn’t seem to indicate he had strong feelings about her actions one way or the other.</p>
<p>“That’s not very smart,” he observed, raising an eyebrow as he waited for her to reply to him.</p>
<p>“Why not?” she protested. “I didn’t think witchers caught thieves.”</p>
<p>“We might, if there’s money in it.” He closed the bestiary, slipping it back into her bag before turning his golden eyes on her and leaning forward. “Why did you steal your teacher’s book, little mage?”</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes at the nickname. She was hardly little, though she supposed everyone was little to him. He was a giant in every way that she could see.</p>
<p>She considered holding out on him just to set a precedent. He was clearly the type of person who expected everyone to give him exactly what he wanted because they were intimidated, like most men she’d met.</p>
<p>But this was what she’d come here for, so she couldn’t justify angering him. She needed his help. She sighed and began her story.</p>
<p>“I served my master, Melcedem, for ten years. Tonight…” She glanced up at the sky and noticed light filtering through the trees. “Last night, now, I suppose,” she corrected herself, as if it mattered, “I overheard him speaking to a sorceress named Yennefer. She’s constructing a spell to destroy all the monsters in the world.”</p>
<p>“Hmm,” he growled, seemingly unimpressed. “That still doesn’t explain why you stole the book.”</p>
<p>“Well, I’m getting to that,” she said defensively. “Apparently witchers aren’t very patient,” she grumbled, eliciting another smirk from him. “They mentioned you. This Yennefer wants you, probably for her own experimentation, or to kill monsters for her so she can construct the spell. I’m not sure, exactly. They were both being evasive. Melcedem was offering her specimens. She also wanted that book. I have no idea why. I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet. He kept the fact that he had one of your hairs from her.”</p>
<p>He nodded. “That’s how you found me,” he guessed. “Astromancy.”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>“Where’s the hair now?”</p>
<p>She hesitated as he glared daggers at her, clearly not happy with the idea that someone could find him at their whim. Finally, she sighed again and untied the ribbon around her wrist, handing it to him. He took it and slipped it into his pouch without even thanking her.</p>
<p>“Do you know how this Melcedem got it?” he wondered gruffly.</p>
<p>“He didn’t say. Of course, he couldn’t say much. I killed him.”</p>
<p>There she went again, saying more than she should. The confession might have made anyone else wary, but she doubted the witcher would be impressed that she’d killed one measly mage.</p>
<p>He raised his eyebrows and smiled, clearly amused. “Did you now, little mage? I suppose you’ll say he deserved it.”</p>
<p>“Yes,” she answered shortly, not wanting to explain herself to this very annoying man.</p>
<p>She doubted he’d care. She’d heard that witchers couldn’t feel emotion. Maybe that was why he seemed so strange. Someone who couldn’t feel would be logical and practical to a fault.</p>
<p>“I still don’t see what any of this has to do with me,” he admitted.</p>
<p>She stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded. “It has everything to do with you,” she replied slowly.</p>
<p>“Does it? How so?”</p>
<p>“Well, they know you by name. Melcedem is dead, but Yennefer isn’t. You could be in danger.”</p>
<p>He chuckled. “I can handle danger. Try again.”</p>
<p>She felt odd about the way he was putting her on the spot. She hadn’t thought she would have to work so hard to convince him that this was a problem.</p>
<p>“I’ve heard about you. That you have an unusual stance about what makes a monster. That you don’t just kill everything and ask questions later. So shouldn’t you care if someone’s trying to kill all of them? I… I just thought you should know, I suppose,” she finished lamely.</p>
<p>She felt confused. She hadn’t exactly prepared a speech to give him, but she couldn’t help feeling like she’d done this all wrong.</p>
<p>“Well, now I know.”</p>
<p>He stood, her bag in hand. He closed it before tossing it to her. She caught it and hurriedly got to her feet.</p>
<p>“Are we leaving?” she wondered, slipping the bag onto her back once more.</p>
<p>“I am and you are, but not together,” he clarified, putting the fire out and moving to his horse.</p>
<p>“No,” she retorted immediately.</p>
<p>He paused and turned to her, at least.</p>
<p>“I risked everything to find you,” she protested before he could stop listening. “To warn you. To stop this. You and I are the only ones who know, besides Yennefer. And you’re my only lead. I… I honestly expected you to care more,” she said in exasperation.</p>
<p>“Well, I don’t.”</p>
<p>He mounted his horse. He was really leaving. She had to keep trying. Whether he could feel or not, maybe her plight would make an impression on him.</p>
<p>“I don’t have anywhere to go,” she told him, following his horse as it started to walk.</p>
<p>He shrugged. “It’s not my job to take care of you. Your supposed conspiracy isn’t my problem, little mage. Sorceresses get grand ideas all the time, and nothing ever comes of it.”</p>
<p>“How do you know if you don’t try to find out more?” she argued.</p>
<p>“If there’s more to find out, I’ll hear about it eventually,” he remarked. “You can’t follow me. Be on your way.”</p>
<p>“I…”</p>
<p>She didn’t even know what she was going to say, but it didn’t matter, because he cut her off.</p>
<p>“We’re just outside Vizima. You can go back to the city and make your own way from there. You’re intriguing, little mage, I’ll give you that. But not intriguing enough for me to let you tag along. I do better on my own.”</p>
<p>With that, he turned his horse and galloped away from her. She stood in the middle of the road, feeling pathetic as she called after him in one last desperate attempt to convince him.</p>
<p>“Geralt! Please!”</p>
<p>He didn’t even acknowledge her. So she was left, standing alone in the middle of the road, with no idea what to do.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Robin finds herself in trouble, and receives rescue from an unlikely source.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Outside Vizima, 1239</b>
</p>
<p>Robin sighed to herself. She knew there was no point in going after Geralt. He’d be able to easily outpace her on the horse, and even if she could articulate herself better, she didn’t have anything new to say to get him to help her.</p>
<p>She couldn’t help but feel that she’d made a mess of everything. If she had just presented herself more rationally, maybe he would have listened to her.</p>
<p>But deep down, she knew that was just her anxious brain talking. He wasn’t concerned, and that had nothing to do with her. It was all about the situation. She couldn’t make him react differently through sheer force of will, as much as she wanted to.</p>
<p>At least he’d given her things back. She swung the bag off of one shoulder and around to her front to check if he’d taken anything. She assumed that provisions were hard for him to come by, especially if he ended up in a place that wasn’t friendly to witchers.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, though, there was nothing missing. Perhaps it was his subtle way of thanking her for her help. She was sure he would have managed just fine without her. She wasn’t so arrogant as to think she had made a huge difference to him. But it was nice to be acknowledged.</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes and put her rucksack back on properly. She was giving him far too much credit. He had left her here by herself and barely listened to her concerns, and she was acting like he was being nice because he hadn’t stolen from her. Not stealing was something you were just supposed to do.</p>
<p>As much as she didn’t want to, she was going to take his advice and head back to the city. She could try to portal again, but didn’t want to risk it, considering her inexperience. Maybe there was a mage in the city who would help her, or at least take her in and give her some better training. Of course, there was always a risk that Yennefer had contacted others besides Melcedem, but she was just going to have to find that out the hard way. She was hoping that Yennefer had limited her contacts to outcasts like him. She’d be unlikely to encounter any of those unless she was trying.</p>
<p>She didn’t need Geralt of Rivia to do this. She was perfectly capable of figuring it out on her own.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>****</p>
</div>Geralt patted Roach’s mane, his head tilted to the side as he slowly cantered down the road. He was going slower than he normally would because he was listening.<p>He knew the mage hadn’t followed him. Truthfully, he was surprised. He hadn’t thought she would give up that easily. She was a determined little thing. Then again, she also seemed to have a decent sense of self-preservation, and that probably prevented her from foolishly pursuing him.</p>
<p>She’d been quite skilled in the graveyard. He’d sensed that most of it was accidental, but it meant she had great potential. If she could find someone to train her, she could be formidable. But he wasn’t a mage, and it wasn’t his job to find strays places to go.</p>
<p>And he’d told her the truth about what she’d overheard. Even if a sorceress was planning something like what she’d explained, it was highly likely that it would never come to be. He had seen enough plans collapse to know better than to panic about every new whispered plot.</p>
<p>Still, something was gnawing at him. He just couldn’t quite place what.</p>
<p>Then he heard it. Footsteps on the road, rather far behind him now. Closer to the city gates. He pulled Roach gently to a stop and turned her around.</p>
<p>There were several of them. Their steps were hasty, angry. He heard a few words rise above the general din of their conversation.</p>
<p>“Witcher.”</p>
<p>“Necromancer.”</p>
<p>“Abominations both.”</p>
<p>He had Roach moving before he could divine anything else. She was in danger, and it was because of him. He couldn’t stand by when that was the case.</p>
<p>He drew his iron sword and pushed Roach to go faster, wanting to get to her in time.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>****</p>
</div>Robin stopped abruptly as the mob came around the bend in the road. It was a small mob, to be sure, but big enough to worry her, especially in her current state. She was still exhausted from helping the witcher in the cemetery, and she didn’t think she had the energy to do it all over again by herself.<p>She stepped to the side of the road, hoping that they’d just pass her by. Maybe they were looking for Geralt and not her. Witchers often attracted mobs. And she highly doubted they’d catch up to him, since he was already off on his horse. Even if they did, she’d bet on him.</p>
<p>She steeled herself as they stopped and looked her over curiously.</p>
<p>“Have you seen a witcher, girl?” one man asked.</p>
<p>Hoping this was all they wanted, she shook her head. “I haven’t seen anyone on the road,” she lied smoothly.</p>
<p>Even if he’d brushed her off, she wasn’t going to betray him. He’d saved her life in the cemetery, technically. He could have just used her as necrophage bait if he’d been so inclined.</p>
<p>“She’s lying,” another man insisted, pushing his way to the front of the group. “She’s the necromancer who helped him. The description matches.”</p>
<p>The hair on the back of her neck stood up as she realized that she was in very real danger. He’d called her a necromancer. She knew Geralt hadn’t said anything, so that meant someone must have seen them in the cemetery.</p>
<p>“If you’re allied with that witcher, you deserve whatever we give you,” one of them spat.</p>
<p>“I’m not allied with the witcher,” she responded. There was no use lying if someone had seen her. “We happened to be in the same place at the same time. And as far as I can tell, we did you a service. Why would you come after someone who helped you?”</p>
<p>“He’s a mutant, and you raise the dead!”</p>
<p>“And we’ve heard the rumors. He’s a werewolf!”</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes. Saying Geralt was a werewolf was ridiculous. Witchers were unusual, to be sure, but there was no need to make them even more so.</p>
<p>“The witcher must be down the road,” one of them reasoned. “Let’s take care of her first. They’ll be easier to deal with if they’re alone.”</p>
<p>“We should have some fun with her first,” another suggested. “She looks soft and welcoming.”</p>
<p>“You’ll find no welcome here,” she assured them through gritted teeth.</p>
<p>The man’s hand closed around her upper arm and she felt a flare of heat move through her body, the same flare that had protected her every night when Melcedem had attempted to have his way with her in her room. It had kept him at bay then. She had no idea if it would work with so many now. It was beyond her control. She had no way to harness it.</p>
<p>Then she heard a horse’s hooves on the dirt. She glanced up and was surprised to see the witcher with his sword in his hand. She didn’t know exactly why he had returned, but she was happy to see him.</p>
<p>He dismounted, his jaw set in a hard line, his form tight, his sword tucked neatly behind his arm so the blade seemed to gently brush his shoulder. He was so calm, so stoic, but she could sense the well-contained rage bubbling just underneath his skin. He was like a metal coil, ready to snap and strike the first thing stupid enough to get too close.</p>
<p>“Leave her be,” he ordered succinctly. “It’s me you wish to quarrel with.”</p>
<p>“We’ll quarrel with both of you!” one of them insisted gleefully. “We’ll take our money back and have a grand old time. And we’ll have our way with her before we cut off her head. Maybe we’ll even make you watch. Would that upset you, witcher? Maybe she’s your lover. We’ll show her what a real man can do, not some mutated freak.”</p>
<p>Robin blushed at the idea of the witcher being her lover. Though his personality left much to be desired, somehow she already knew that this witcher was the best man she had ever known, save her brother. Though even he might not have counted, since she had only known him as a child. She had no idea what kind of man he had become.</p>
<p>He spared her a small smile when he saw her reaction. “She’s not my lover, but I will still defend her honor, if you insist on fighting.”</p>
<p>“Oh, we do, witcher.”</p>
<p>Robin stepped back as a man raised a crossbow and fired a bolt at the witcher. He swatted it aside with his sword as if it were nothing. He wasn’t even afraid. Meanwhile, her entire body was vibrating with unexpended energy.</p>
<p>One man rushed him. Geralt struck him twice, bringing him to his knees before he slammed his sword through his mouth and then ripped the blade completely through his skull.</p>
<p>After that, everything moved quickly. The others charged. Geralt dispatched three more of them with ease, then threw his blade through the chest of the man with the crossbow before pulling it back out.</p>
<p>She felt a small ripple of magic and saw a white wave move out from his fingers that briefly made those remaining standing stumble. She knew witchers used signs, and she suspected she’d just seen one.</p>
<p>He made quick work of the rest of the mob. It was like watching a dance, she realized. He knew the steps like he’d done them hundreds, perhaps thousands, of times before.</p>
<p>The last man grabbed Geralt’s breastplate, ripping desperately at the flap. It slipped down from his neck and the chain of his silver amulet touched his skin. She was surprised when the witcher hissed and smoke curled out of the wound.</p>
<p>She gasped as he sliced the last man’s head completely off, then turned to her, all of the tension leaving his muscles as he extended his hand.</p>
<p>“Easy now,” he soothed her.</p>
<p>For a moment, she thought he was talking to his horse. Then she realized that her hands were alight with magical fire.</p>
<p>She looked at them and concentrated, making the magic recede, absorbing it back into her body safely. It was a good thing no spell had been released. She had very little energy left, so releasing too much could have killed her.</p>
<p>“They were right about you,” she whispered. “You’re a werewolf.”</p>
<p>He only blinked once, but it was enough for her to realize he was surprised.</p>
<p>He stood completely still, waiting for her reaction, his hand still extended. He blinked once again when she moved forward, stepping right past his hand until she was standing so close that they were almost touching.</p>
<p>He held his breath as she reached up and gently peeled the chain away from his skin, lifting the amulet over his head carefully so that it didn’t touch him anywhere else.</p>
<p>“I’m useless with healing magic, or else I’d…” she started, but the words faded away as she saw that he was already healing.</p>
<p>She watched, fascinated, as the skin knitted back together and became smooth again, as if there had never been an opening in it at all.</p>
<p>She gazed up into his dark golden eyes, holding the silver amulet to her chest. She jumped slightly as his hand closed on her upper arm in the same spot where the leader of the mob had touched her earlier. He shook his head at her gently, sheathing his sword and quickly pulling the flap of his breastplate back into place before taking the amulet from her.</p>
<p>He slipped it back over his head in one smooth motion and then smiled at her. “You didn’t even last five minutes before you were in trouble,” he admonished her teasingly.</p>
<p>She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “It was more like ten,” she retorted, smiling back.</p>
<p>After a brief moment of silence, she said, “I can’t go back to Vizima. They know what I am.”</p>
<p>He nodded. “I know. That’s why I came back.”</p>
<p>So he had come back to save her. She wasn’t sure what to think about that just yet.</p>
<p>The question spilled out of her mouth before she could stop it. “Why would they let a werewolf be a witcher?” she wondered, as if she really knew anything about witchers.</p>
<p>Only what she’d read in books, and those could be notoriously unreliable.</p>
<p>“When they don’t know a man’s a werewolf,” he responded, apparently seeing no point in lying to her now.</p>
<p>“I see,” she breathed, continuing to stare up at him.</p>
<p>“We have to go,” he decided.</p>
<p>He reached out and slid the rucksack from her shoulders, securing it on his horse’s back. Then he put his hands around her waist and lifted her into the saddle. As he mounted behind her, she pulled up her skirts and rearranged herself so one leg was firmly on each side of the horse.</p>
<p>He grabbed the reins, his bulging arms tight against her. “Hang on, little mage,” he advised her. “We’re riding all day, and through the night as well.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter Five</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geralt is unexpectedly curious about the mage he rescued.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Mahakam Mountain Pass, 1239</b>
</p>
<p>Geralt remained true to his word, riding for the whole day and on into the night with very few breaks. He wanted to put as much distance between them and Vizima as possible, considering the circumstances. Eventually, any bad memories would fade and he could return, or he’d have to return, regardless of whether anything had changed. But, for now, this was the best option.</p>
<p>He was actually impressed with the woman. She never complained once. She wasn’t dressed well at all for the road, but he made sure she remained warm enough pressed up against him, and hopefully made it more comfortable when he took his breastplate off at their first stop. She shared some of the food she had in her pack as well, making it a much more bearable journey than it might have been otherwise, even for him.</p>
<p>He could go without food, water, and sleep longer than the average person, but it still wasn’t the way he preferred to live.</p>
<p>When her head started to loll against his shoulder, he dropped his mouth to her ear. “Sleep,” he urged her. “You need it.”</p>
<p>“What about you?” she murmured.</p>
<p>“I’m fine,” he promised her. “Sleep.”</p>
<p>She obeyed. He could tell she was reluctant, but at a certain point, she didn’t have a choice. He shifted her in his arms to make sure she’d stay in the saddle and continued to push Roach as hard as he dared.</p>
<p>Now the mountains rose over them on either side and he slowed Roach to a canter, looking for a suitable spot to camp in the pass. He thought they were far enough away now to be safe. Either way, they had to stop soon. Roach needed rest, most significantly. And if he was hungry, the woman had to be too.</p>
<p>There weren’t many good places to camp here, but he knew where all of the best ones were. And they were hidden, which was ideal at the moment. It was also close enough to the entrance of the pass that he might be able to hunt a deer for their dinner.</p>
<p>He tugged on the reins, letting Roach walk as he found one of the concealed paths and urged her up it. Before long, they emerged into a little clearing on an outcropping of rock not far up into the mountains. It was impossible to see from the road because of the bushes growing around the edges of the large stone. Roach stopped and Geralt sighed heavily, trying to let the adrenaline coursing through his veins settle.</p>
<p>The woman stirred against him and sat up slightly. He wrapped an arm around her waist and slipped off of Roach, gently setting her on her feet. “We’re here, little mage.”</p>
<p>“Where’s here?” she wondered, turning her head to look up at him. “And my name is Robin. You should start using it if we’re going to keep traveling together.”</p>
<p>He laughed heartily, surprising her. Truthfully, he liked the fact that she talked back to him. Most people were too afraid to talk to him in the first place.</p>
<p>“We’re in a pass that cuts through the Makaham, Robin,” he answered, emphasizing her name pointedly. “I thought we’d start a fire and I’ll see if I can find a deer for dinner.”</p>
<p>She nodded. “I can start the fire if you’d like to start hunting right away. And I can make dinner. If you do find a whole deer, I can break it down. We should be able to dry some of the meat for later as well.”</p>
<p>“You can break down a deer?” he asked curiously.</p>
<p>It wasn’t an unusual skill for a woman to have, but it was a strange one for a mage to possess, perhaps.</p>
<p>“I wasn’t just my master’s student,” she explained. “I did all the cleaning and cooking in his tower too.”</p>
<p>“I see. Well, hopefully I can find one. I’ll return soon.” He glanced at Roach and then looked at her. “Unpack if you like, but be careful of the elixirs in the satchel. Only witchers can stomach them. If you drink one, you’ll die.”</p>
<p>“I’ll keep that in mind,” she promised.</p>
<p>“There’s some chamomile salve in a metal tin in the rest of my things. If you hurt from riding, it should help.”</p>
<p>She swallowed and shifted on her feet. She was standing with her legs a bit wider apart than was necessary, he noticed. “Thank you,” she added.</p>
<p>“I’ll be back soon.”</p>
<p>He turned and walked down the path, giving her some time to herself.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>****</p>
</div>Robin sighed as Geralt left. She ached all over. She had hardly ever been on a horse at all before this past day. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, she was sure, since Geralt had done most of the work, but she was still hurting.<p>She was tempted to go right for the salve, but she didn’t. First, she got a fire going. Then she unpacked her rucksack, taking the rest of the provisions out of it and seeing what she had. There was some cheese and dried fruit, along with some bread. She set everything aside, then went to unpack Geralt’s things.</p>
<p>The first saddlebag she opened was the satchel he’d mentioned. She put that away from everything else on one side of the camp. In the other, she found his limited supplies, including the salve he’d mentioned and tools for taking care of his horse.</p>
<p>She wasn’t sure if the horse would welcome her attention, but she decided to at least take the saddle off the poor animal. It deserved to rest too.</p>
<p>She decided to undress slightly. The ride had been cold at times and warm at others, and her clothes were stuck to her skin with a thin sheen of sweat. It hadn’t been terrible, though, thanks to Geralt. He had kept her warm when it was cold and let her sleep against him, which was more than she’d expected.</p>
<p>She stripped down to just her bodice and underskirt, laying everything over the gnarled, twiggy bushes to let them air out. Then she hitched up her skirt and finally used the salve he recommended, pleased when it started to tingle and offer her relief immediately.</p>
<p>It wasn’t long before he was back, a deer slung over his shoulder. He had two full water skins as well, and she moved to take them from him.</p>
<p>He glanced around the camp, seeming pleased. “Thank you,” he said shortly.</p>
<p>She nodded. “You’re welcome. I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to do more with your horse.”</p>
<p>“Roach,” he told her.</p>
<p>“Her name is Roach?”</p>
<p>“You know she’s a she?”</p>
<p>He seemed surprised, but she shrugged. “That’s not that hard to tell, you know.”</p>
<p>“Most people mistake her for a stallion,” he admitted. “Yes, Roach. Like the fish. And I doubt she’d let you groom her. She usually only lets me do it. I’ll take care of her if you start breaking down the deer.”</p>
<p>“Of course.”</p>
<p>Butchering was automatic for her. He had a good knife for it, which was nice. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he brushed the horse, speaking to her gently the entire time. He clearly cared about her. She thought it was sweet.</p>
<p>She made quick work of the deer and was almost done by the time Geralt was finished with Roach. He stood beside her, his arms crossed over his chest, a small smile on his face. “You’re very good at that,” he observed. “I’ll get the spit. We can roast some. I tried to find vegetables for a stew, but there was nothing.”</p>
<p>“We have bread and cheese and dried fruit,” she told him. “We’ll be all right.”</p>
<p>“I’ll set the rest of the meat to dry in a moment,” Geralt offered.</p>
<p>She nodded and they worked in silence for some time. It was more comfortable than she’d expected it to feel.</p>
<p>Soon, they were both settled in front of the fire, smelling the roasting meat. Geralt turned it on the spit every once in a while. For now, she stayed silent, not sure if he was in the mood to talk. Most of the time, he seemed rather taciturn.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry they came after you for helping me,” he apologized when he finally spoke.</p>
<p>She shook her head slightly. “That’s not your fault. I helped because I wanted to.”</p>
<p>“But you wouldn’t have had to if I hadn’t been fighting,” he pointed out.</p>
<p>“And I wouldn’t have had to if I hadn’t been looking for you,” she countered. “Besides, you can’t be held responsible for their actions. That’s not fair at all.”</p>
<p>“I’ve found that people are not often fair,” he revealed.</p>
<p>She smiled bitterly. “No, they’re not. Neither is life.”</p>
<p>She hugged her knees and he looked her up and down. “Did you use the salve I told you about?”</p>
<p>She nodded. “Yes. It worked well. Thank you.”</p>
<p>“You’re welcome.” He paused. “Tell me something.” Her eyes slid to the side and she looked at him, waiting. “Why are you so determined to stop this Yennefer’s plot? You’re not a monster.”</p>
<p>“How do you know?” she retorted, though she already knew the answer.</p>
<p>“Because I’m a witcher.” He smiled. “It’s kind of my job.”</p>
<p>“You have a shitty job,” she informed him.</p>
<p>“That I do,” he agreed, his eyes moving over her face like she was a puzzle he was trying to figure out.</p>
<p>“Sometimes I feel like a monster,” she admitted softly. “The things I’ve done. The things I can do. The things that have been done to me. They… change a person. I may not be hurt by silver, but… actions make a monster.”</p>
<p>“What can you have possibly done?” he asked. “So you stole a book and killed a man who deserved it. That doesn’t make you a monster.”</p>
<p>“How do you know he deserved it?” she asked, turning to him more fully.</p>
<p>“Call it a guess. Why would you risk everything to find a witcher you knew nothing about just to stop something bad from happening to others if you were an awful person, Robin?”</p>
<p>She stared into his golden eyes and he stared right back.</p>
<p>No one had ever believed she was good before, except her brother. It touched her deeply.</p>
<p>He sat up, breaking their eye contact, and turned the spit again. “Why don’t you tell me about yourself, Robin? I find myself curious.”</p>
<p>“Is it unusual for you to be curious?” she wondered.</p>
<p>“Yes,” he confessed.</p>
<p>“It’s a rather long story,” she warned him.</p>
<p>“I have more time than most,” he reminded her.</p>
<p>“I suppose you do,” she answered, resting her chin on her knees and staring into the fire. “I’ve never told anyone my life story before. I suppose there’s always a first time.”</p>
<p>“I’m listening,” he assured her.</p>
<p>And indeed he was, with rather rapt attention. “All right,” she relented. “I guess I should start at the beginning.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter Six</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Robin tells Geralt her story.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Mahakam Mountain Pass, 1239</b>
</p>
<p>“Technically, I’m a noble,” she began. “Minor noble, really. My family lives in Kerack. Not wealthy, but comfortable. I had a fairly busy childhood. I cleaned and cooked for the house, and took lessons like any noble girl. I enjoyed making up stories, but no one listened to them until my brother was born.”</p>
<p>“You have a brother?” Geralt asked.</p>
<p>Robin nodded. “Jaskier. I raised him. He was the sweetest baby and little boy.”</p>
<p>“Was? Is he…?” Geralt trailed off, seeming uncomfortable.</p>
<p>“I don’t actually know,” Robin admitted, unable to stop herself from tearing up. “He was, um, eight when I left. I heard a rumor that he ran away from our family estate last year. I haven’t heard anything since. I hope he’s safe.”</p>
<p>She sniffled and wiped her tears away. She didn’t want Geralt to think she was maudlin about her life. It was what it was, and that was that. She could only change the future, not the past, and she certainly couldn’t alter some of her circumstances. She was a mage, and that meant sacrifice and obligation were necessary, to a point.</p>
<p>“When did you know you were magical?” Geralt asked after her tears had subsided and she’d gathered herself.</p>
<p>“I was twelve. Jaskier was four. We were in the woods on the edge of our family’s land and a bandit attacked us. I was trying to protect him, but I wasn’t strong enough.”</p>
<p>Her eyes glazed over as she spoke. She could see it in front of her in perfect clarity, like a vision.</p>
<p>“Then the bandit’s knife flew out of his hand and into mine. I had no idea what had happened, but I stabbed him as hard as I could. Over and over. Until he was dead.” She tilted her head to the side. “Jaskier cried and asked why he would do that to us. I wondered the same thing.”</p>
<p>She took a deep breath. “Then I reanimated his body and he told me his last thoughts. We seemed like children from a rich family, and he wanted to ransom us.”</p>
<p>She bit her lip as Geralt turned the spit again. It was an automatic movement. His gaze never left her.</p>
<p>“I knew enough to know that I had just used forbidden magic, so I decided to keep it a secret. I told Jaskier that if he told, I could be taken away. He promised not to tell. He didn’t want to lose me.”</p>
<p>She paused and Geralt raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. “Isn’t that monstrous?” she wondered, trying to push the lump in her throat back down by swallowing. “Asking my brother to keep a secret like that?”</p>
<p>Geralt immediately shook his head. “Not at all. You were scared, and you didn’t want to lose him. I don’t think you did it for a selfish reason at all.”</p>
<p>She laughed bitterly. “Why would you think that?”</p>
<p>“Because of the way you’re telling the story,” he explained simply. “It’s all about him. Not you. I’m guessing the next part is too.”</p>
<p>She nodded. “I kept my magic hidden, but I’m sure you know what that can do to people. I started to go mad. Still, I managed to control it. Until one day, I was sitting in the sewing room with Jaskier and I lit the curtains on fire. He was sitting next to them. I got him out of the way, but just barely. I burned my hand.”</p>
<p>She turned her left hand over and showed him the scar. It covered about half of her palm and curved just slightly around her thumb. It didn’t hurt or restrict her movement, so it didn’t bother her.</p>
<p>“I knew I had to tell after that. I could have killed him. He’s the most important person in the world to me, and I didn’t want to leave him, but I couldn’t be responsible for his death. Even if I had only burnt him and given him this same scar I have, it would have been unforgivable.”</p>
<p>Geralt sat up a little, his arm resting on his knee as he turned more fully towards her. “No monster would think like that,” he assured her softly.</p>
<p>She managed to smile slightly at him. “My mother thought I was,” she told him. “She refused to speak to me once I confessed to her and my father. She wouldn’t even stay in the same room with me. And he was furious. He’d been planning to marry me off, hopefully to a much wealthier family. He made it a point to tell me that he wouldn’t be sending me to an expensive magic school so I could learn useless tricks.”</p>
<p>“What did you do?”</p>
<p>She was surprised at how good of a listener he was. Then again, she supposed he had to be to survive.</p>
<p>“I thought about running away. I thought if I could get to one of the schools, they might take pity on me and train me. But then my father presented me with a solution. He found a sorcerer in Bremervoord who was willing to take me on as an apprentice. He told me we were leaving within the hour, and that I wasn’t to take anything with me except the clothes I put on, because everything was his and I was no longer entitled to it.”</p>
<p>His brow furrowed and he shook his head. She supposed he was used to being treated poorly. Perhaps he didn’t like to be reminded of his own troubles with people. Or perhaps the books were wrong about witchers, and he really could feel sympathy for her.</p>
<p>“I changed into my sturdiest traveling clothes and took what I could. I’ve always sewn a lot of secret pockets into my gowns so I can hide things. It was nothing much. I doubted he missed anything. A comb. Some money I had saved up that no one knew about. Some paper and ink and a quill.”</p>
<p>Her lip quivered and she found herself crying again. This time she talked through the tears, letting them stream down her cheeks.</p>
<p>“I said goodbye to Jaskier. My father had already told me that I wouldn’t be allowed to see him, or even write to him. When I told him that, he cried. He asked how he would remember me.”</p>
<p>She breathed out shakily, remembering his heartbroken face. “I told him to remember my stories. That as long as he remembered those, I would always be with him. He promised to always remember.” She paused. “He said that, one day, he would be in charge of our family and he would bring me back home.”</p>
<p>“Perhaps he still will,” Geralt soothed her.</p>
<p>She ignored the comment. She couldn’t think about it right now, or she’d never make it through the rest of her tale.</p>
<p>“My father took me to Melcedem’s tower. I didn’t know that Melcedem was paying for me. My father took his gold and left without another glance. It was hard to bear, but still, I wanted to learn, and I didn’t mind being useful, so it didn’t bother me when he showed me that the tower was a mess and asked me to clean and cook.”</p>
<p>“I worked through the night and put everything in order. I even had breakfast ready for him the next morning. I wanted to impress him. I thought that I could at least be good at what I’d been given. For the rest of the day, I studied with him. He wasn’t a bad teacher. Not a particularly diligent or interested one in the end, but probably far better than I would have found elsewhere, considering my situation.”</p>
<p>She moved closer to the fire, putting her hands out to warm them. Thoughts of Melcedem’s tower at night made her blood run cold. Geralt leaned forward with her, not touching her, just watching her.</p>
<p>“He came into my room that night. I think he assumed I’d be exhausted after two days on my feet. But I couldn’t sleep. I was just laying there, staring at the ceiling. I heard him before I saw him. At first I thought it might be some sort of test. Then he put his hand under my shift.”</p>
<p>Geralt swallowed audibly. She looked down and noticed that his hand was clenched into a fist. Without thinking, she reached out and put her hand over it.</p>
<p>“He didn’t do anything. Not because he didn’t want to. Because I wouldn’t let him.”</p>
<p>“How?” Geralt asked through clenched teeth. “You couldn’t have possibly fought him off physically for ten years.”</p>
<p>“You’re right. It wasn’t physical. It was my magic. When he touched me, my body got… hot. Like there was a fire inside me. I was afraid I was going to combust at first. Just disintegrate from the inside out. But I didn’t. He got burned, though. I heard him hiss and pull his hand away.”</p>
<p>“So he never…?” Geralt clarified.</p>
<p>Robin shook her head. “Never. He tried. Every night for ten years. He was obviously pleased with my natural ability, but also upset at being thwarted. I took a little satisfaction in that.”</p>
<p>“Why didn’t you leave before now?” Geralt ground out, clearly frustrated.</p>
<p>“I had to learn how to control my magic,” she said softly. “Or I would have died.”</p>
<p>“Surely you were proficient before then,” Geralt argued, turning the spit a little harder than necessary.</p>
<p>“I was,” she agreed. “Afterwards, I stayed because of my brother. Melcedem knew who I was. I thought that if I ran, he might take it out on him. And there wasn’t anyone who could help me, because he kept me a secret. I kept my own secrets too, though. He had no idea that I’m a necromancer.”</p>
<p>She smiled at the thought. “He found out right at the end. It’s how I killed him.”</p>
<p>“There is a bit of poetic justice in that,” Geralt relented, though he still seemed unhappy. “Is there anything else?”</p>
<p>“Nothing I haven’t told you already.”</p>
<p>“How exactly did he die?” Geralt asked. “I want to know.” He paused and his eyes glowed darkly in the firelight. “I need to know.”</p>
<p>“There was a secret laboratory in his tower that I never knew about. There was a dead alghoul in there. Dissected, so it didn’t last long, but I reanimated it and it killed him. Then I raised his body to get all of the information I could. Apparently his last thought was anger at never knowing I was a necromancer.”</p>
<p>Her mouth twisted briefly as she remembered what else he had said. Geralt caught the expression and growled under his breath. “What?” he insisted.</p>
<p>“He said he knew how to use necromancy too. That he’d planned to kill me and resurrect my body so he could… use it.”</p>
<p>“I’m glad he’s dead,” Geralt finally said after a moment of silence.</p>
<p>“So am I,” Robin agreed.</p>
<p>“Food’s ready,” he gruffly announced, abruptly switching subjects.</p>
<p>She let go of his hand so he could lean forward and start to slice pieces of venison off of the spit. He handed her some and she took it gratefully, happy to have a hot meal to look forward to.</p>
<p>They had their first few bites quietly, then Geralt brought something back up that they’d talked about before. “You never told me why you want to stop this Yennefer, really,” he reminded her.</p>
<p>“I suppose I never really did answer the question,” she admitted, taking another bite and composing her answer before she spoke. “I always wanted to do some good in the world. I had no idea how, really, and when I found out I was magic, I assumed it didn’t matter anymore. I thought that magic robbed me of that chance. But now I know that it hasn’t, so I have to try.”</p>
<p>She took another bite and sighed. “Having power like this, no matter how well I use it, comes with a kind of responsibility, I’ve realized. And I’m one of the only people who knows about this plot. It would be profoundly selfish to just walk away. The problem is that a plan like this requires a hero, and I am most definitely not one of those.”</p>
<p>Geralt laughed loudly, making her jump. “The responsibility part I understand. Being a witcher is much the same. But if you wanted to find me because you think I’m a hero, Robin, you’re wrong.”</p>
<p>“Aren’t you?” she countered, looking directly at him. Their eyes locked again so she could make sure he knew she was serious. “You saved me.”</p>
<p>“And you had the most grateful reaction I’ve ever received,” Geralt answered, his voice laced with bitterness. “My mentor once told me that witchers shouldn’t play at being white knights. We shouldn’t try to uphold the law. We shouldn’t show off. And he was right. No good ever comes of it.”</p>
<p>She opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it when she saw his expression. “Want to hear about my first monster?” he asked. Before she could say yes or no, he was already telling the tale. “He was huge. Stinking. Bald head. Rotten teeth. He pulled a girl from a cart, tore her dress off in front of her father, and told her it was time she met a real man.”</p>
<p>She shivered slightly as she heard the words the mob had spoken to them both recalled from what she was guessing was a much more distant past.</p>
<p>“I told him it was time he met one too,” Geralt continued, chuckling to himself. “I had poetic delusions of grandeur back then.” He tore into some bread and venison, swallowed, and kept talking. She didn’t try to interrupt him. “It took me two strikes to kill him. They weren’t clean. But they were spectacular.”</p>
<p>The firelight flashed in his eyes as he looked away from her. “I wanted her to kiss my hands and thank me. I wanted her father to fall to his knees with gratitude. But she took one look at me, screamed, vomited, and passed out.” He smirked. “I am not a hero.”</p>
<p>She was quiet for a few moments, absorbing what he’d told her. Finally, she asked, “He was human?”</p>
<p>Geralt nodded as he took a drink of water. “Entirely human and entirely foul.”</p>
<p>“Is that why you were so angry today? Because that man said almost the same thing to me?”</p>
<p>“Did I seem angry?” he wondered, turning his head towards her again, genuinely curious.</p>
<p>“I have a feeling you’re always angry,” she retorted, making him smile again. “But no. You actually seemed quite calm. I could sense the anger underneath, though.”</p>
<p>“Hm.” He nodded, then sighed. “Yes. That’s why I was so angry. It’s the basest, most vile crime a man can think of. And they all think of it. It’s disgusting.”</p>
<p>She reached out and smoothed some of his loose hair away from his face. He closed his eyes briefly at the touch, then opened them again and stared back at her.</p>
<p>“Perhaps you’re not a white knight, Geralt of Rivia, but from what I’ve seen and heard so far, I think you’re close enough to a hero to make a difference. You’re fair, and you’re surprisingly kind, and there should be more people like that in this world, whether they’re witchers or not.”</p>
<p>He raised an eyebrow. “Surprisingly?”</p>
<p>“Surprisingly,” she said firmly. “But I’m not kissing your hands. I bet they’re filthy.”</p>
<p>That made him laugh loudly again. She liked his laugh very much. She had a feeling that he didn’t laugh that often, and she felt oddly blessed that she’d heard it so much already.</p>
<p>“I washed them in the stream,” he protested.</p>
<p>“And then came back and brushed a horse,” she snorted.</p>
<p>“You’re actually quite amusing, Robin.”</p>
<p>“Thank you. I think,” she added as an afterthought.</p>
<p>Once the laughter had died down, she fiddled with her skirt and glanced at him a bit nervously. “So what happens now?”</p>
<p>Geralt glanced back and smiled slightly. “Well, I suppose a little self-preservation is in order. If this Yennefer manages to cast her spell, I’ll die.”</p>
<p>She brightened at the answer and he held up a finger, pointing at her. “I have conditions. You can’t complain about how I travel.”</p>
<p>“Have I yet?” she challenged him.</p>
<p>“No, but you might eventually. And you said you can cook. I’ll get the supplies, and you’ll make our meals.”</p>
<p>“I have no problem with that,” she agreed.</p>
<p>“Good. Finish eating and get some rest. We’ll leave early tomorrow morning.”</p>
<p>It was clear that the time for talking was over, but she didn’t mind. They finished eating and then laid down by the fire to sleep. It was a little cold, but she didn’t let it bother her, because for the first time in ten years, she wasn’t afraid to close her eyes.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter Seven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geralt purchases some gifts.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Aldersberg, 1239</b>
</p>
<p>They awoke the next morning to rain. After swiftly dismantling the camp and packing their things, they mounted Roach and began to ride through the pass.</p>
<p>The rain continued throughout the day. Robin shivered so hard her teeth chattered, but she never complained. Even if she had wanted to, Geralt didn’t control the rain. She could hardly hold him accountable for that.</p>
<p>He stopped when he noticed and wrapped his cloak around her. She tried to protest, but she was so cold she could barely speak. He pulled her more firmly against his chest to try to shelter her as they rode the rest of the way.</p>
<p>When they arrived at Aldersberg, he stopped. She looked at him curiously as he helped her down from Roach. Her limbs were so stiff that she wouldn’t have been able to get off by herself.</p>
<p>“I need to go to the market and pick up supplies,” he explained, tying Roach to the hitching rail outside the tavern. “And you need to warm up, or you’re likely to freeze to death.”</p>
<p>She could hardly argue as he led her inside. Though a few people gave him wary glances as he approached the barman, no one protested. Geralt handed the man a few coins and asked him to keep his companion in hot cider and stew until he returned, at which point he would have some as well.</p>
<p>He steered her to a table in the corner by the fire and sat her down. “I’ll be back,” he murmured. “Drink. Eat. Don’t leave, and don’t say anything to anyone.”</p>
<p>She nodded. He left her his cloak and she curled up in the chair, grateful for the searing heat next to her.</p>
<p>The barman brought the items Geralt had requested over. She thanked him, drinking most of the cider first, then slowly eating. She breathed deeply, relaxing as her limbs thawed. The barman came to refill her cider and she thanked him again.</p>
<p>She thought about taking out the bestiary and beginning to study it, but she wasn’t sure it was a good idea in a crowded tavern. So she waited, and by the time she’d finished her second cup of cider and her first bowl of stew, Geralt joined her.</p>
<p>More food was delivered to the table. He nodded and handed the barman a few more coins, setting multiple packages on the table. Robin raised her eyebrow at all of them, wondering what they could possibly be.</p>
<p>“Had a lot of shopping to do, did you?”</p>
<p>“Open them,” he offered, digging into his stew. “They’re for you.”</p>
<p>“For me?”</p>
<p>She hadn’t asked for anything, or given him any money.</p>
<p>Geralt nodded. “You can’t keep traveling like that,” he pointed out.</p>
<p>She could hardly argue. She took the first package off the top of the pile and opened it. It was large, but not particularly heavy, and there were several items of clothing inside.</p>
<p>There were two heavy overskirts and bodices, all dark green, and an assortment of appropriate undergarments. She blushed a bit and shoved those under everything else, making him grin.</p>
<p>The next large package contained a beautiful dark green riding cloak with a fur-lined hood. It was the most luxurious item she’d ever owned, until she opened another, which was a pair of black leather riding boots and matching riding gloves, both decorated with silver embroidery.</p>
<p>The last package was small and contained a dagger. Geralt nodded at the bodices and explained, “It will fit on the inside, so you can have it close at all times.”</p>
<p>She nodded, a little taken aback. She had no idea how to respond to all of this. Finally, she settled on, “You should let me pay you back. These are…”</p>
<p>He interrupted her. “That’s not necessary. They’re just things.”</p>
<p>“Beautiful things, Geralt,” she countered. “These are the nicest things I’ve ever had.”</p>
<p>He shrugged. “It was just what they had in the market.”</p>
<p>She narrowed her eyes briefly. She wasn’t quite sure she believed that. He must have guessed that she’d never had nice things from her story, and that might have influenced his choices, whether he’d realized it or not.</p>
<p>But she decided not to try to talk to him about it. Instead, she just thanked him again. When the barman returned, Geralt asked for beer instead of cider and then asked if there was a room she could change in.</p>
<p>“We’re not staying,” he explained as she stood and the barman prepared to lead her to a small storeroom. “Make sure you’re ready.”</p>
<p>“Of course.”</p>
<p>Once she was left alone, she put on her new clothes. They fit perfectly, and they were much warmer and hardier. She neatly folded the extras and put them in her rucksack along with her old clothes. She could use them in a pinch, or for bandages. She didn’t think it was smart to throw anything away.</p>
<p>She returned to him, the cloak and gloves in hand. She wouldn’t put them on until they were ready to leave. He looked her over and nodded. “Everything fit all right?” he inquired.</p>
<p>“Perfectly, thank you,” she responded.</p>
<p>He gestured to the table. “Do you need more to eat?”</p>
<p>She shook her head. She grabbed her mug and continued sipping her cider, though, letting him eat a bit more before she asked, “Where are we going in such a hurry?”</p>
<p>“Lyria,” he revealed. “The merchant who sold me the clothes said they’re having problems with a kikimora there. There could be some work in it for me.”</p>
<p>“What happens if no one is specifically paying you to kill a monster?” she wondered.</p>
<p>“I’ll salvage what I can. A lot of mages will buy blood and various body parts.”</p>
<p>“Glamorous,” she joked, smiling so he’d know she was teasing.</p>
<p>“If glamorous is what you’re looking for, the life of a witcher is not for you,” he joked back.</p>
<p>“I didn’t think so,” she assured him. “What are we going to do about…?”</p>
<p>She trailed off, not wanting to say too much in public, especially since he’d cautioned her earlier.</p>
<p>“I think we need to be careful,” Geralt responded slowly, leaning forward and staring at her. “We don’t know who might be involved. I think we need to gather information, see what we can discover. We don’t want to tip our hand too early and let her know she has an enemy.”</p>
<p>“I think that makes sense,” she agreed. “I need to start studying more too. There’s plenty Melcedem didn’t teach me.”</p>
<p>“A sound plan,” Geralt acknowledged her, finishing his stew and his beer. “Are you ready to go?”</p>
<p>“I am. Thank you again. For all of the gifts and the food.”</p>
<p>“You’re welcome,” he said, standing. “But you don’t have to thank me for every little thing.”</p>
<p>She pressed her lips together and nodded, making him laugh. He reached over as she put on her cloak, helping her straighten it and pull the hood up.</p>
<p>They didn’t speak again as they left the tavern, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Geralt strapped her rucksack to Roach and she noticed that he’d purchased food supplies as well.</p>
<p>“We’ll be set for a few days,” he explained. “We’ll restock in Lyria.”</p>
<p>She nodded and mounted. He still had to help her a bit, but not as much as the first time. He swung up behind her and grabbed the reins. “You’re getting better at that,” he observed.</p>
<p>“I’m trying,” she admitted.</p>
<p>He nodded and steered Roach away from the tavern, out of the city, and back to the road. She leaned against him contentedly and settled in for another long ride.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter Eight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Robin asks Geralt a question and is surprised and offended by his answer.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Lyria, 1239</b>
</p>
<p>Robin waited while Geralt paid for a room at the inn. “Stay in town while I hunt the kikimora,” he told her. “I’ll be back soon.”</p>
<p>“You’re sure?” she asked worriedly.</p>
<p>He smiled. “It won’t be the first kikimora I’ve killed. I’m sure.”</p>
<p>“I was thinking of going to the market and looking for some books.”</p>
<p>He nodded. “I think that’s an excellent idea.”</p>
<p>They left the inn together. She watched him ride off, taking a deep breath when he rounded the corner and she couldn’t see him anymore. She would be truly unhappy if she didn’t see him again, but she’d have to trust that he would come back.</p>
<p>There was only a small selection of books in the marketplace, but several of them would be useful to her. She purchased them all, being careful to not let anyone see how much money she actually had on her, and then went back to their room.</p>
<p>She undressed and called for water to do their laundry, cleaning out their bags while everything soaked. Geralt had taken the satchel with him, so she didn’t have to worry about his elixirs. The fire was high and the room was comfortable, making her tasks even simpler. She had a meal once the chores were done and settled down to read.</p>
<p>Geralt returned just as the sun was slipping below the horizon. He was a bit of a mess and called immediately for a bath, setting up a screen so he had some privacy. She continued to read, not even speaking to him so he could take the time for himself.</p>
<p>When he’d finished and put on clean clothes, he asked for the bath and screen to be removed and for dinner to be brought up. He nodded at her books as they sat down to eat together. “Anything good?” he asked.</p>
<p>“They’re basic,” she answered, “but I figure I should start at the beginning. I imagine Melcedem missed a lot, and left out even more.”</p>
<p>“Thank you for taking care of everything,” Geralt continued.</p>
<p>“If I’m not allowed to say thank you to you for every little thing, you can’t say it to me either,” she protested playfully.</p>
<p>Geralt chuckled. “That’s fair.” He waved a hand at the one large bed in the room. “This was the only room they had. I’ll sleep on the floor.”</p>
<p>So he stretched out on the unyielding wood planks as she sank into the bed by herself. She felt a little silly, if she was being honest. He shouldn’t have to sleep on the floor the one night they actually spent in an inn.</p>
<p>“Geralt, this is ridiculous,” she finally muttered. “The bed is big enough for both of us. And it’s cold.”</p>
<p>The fire had seemed roaring earlier, but night had fallen, and the room was chilly in spite of it.</p>
<p>“I’m not cold,” Geralt replied easily.</p>
<p>“Well, I am,” she protested.</p>
<p>He laughed and pushed up off of the floor, keeping the sheet he’d taken from the bed wrapped around his waist.</p>
<p>As he laid down beside her, it dipped, and she couldn’t help but stare. She hadn’t realized he was naked, and the brief slip had made that fact very obvious.</p>
<p>He stretched out, humming contentedly as his large frame sank into the bed. He folded his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, his silver hair fanning out around him on the pillow.</p>
<p>Her eyes continued to trace the impressive lines of his muscles. He was the kind of man you dreamed about and didn’t think actually existed.</p>
<p>He was tall, broad, and strong, with a chiseled jaw and straight nose. He had dark stubble, underarm hair, and hair that covered his chest and trailed down his toned stomach into the sheet.</p>
<p>And that was just the beginning, really. If she were a poet, she could probably spend hours composing verses about him.</p>
<p>She had never been able to imagine herself with anyone, man or woman, before, except in the abstract. There had never been anyone who was a possibility. Like many other things, she had just assumed that sexual pleasure was lost to her.</p>
<p>Now, lying here beside him, she realized that it didn’t necessarily have to be that way.</p>
<p>Her eyes swept back up to his chest. She was surprised to see that he had a scar. Based on the way the wound on his neck had healed, she wouldn’t have thought it was possible. She supposed it could have happened before he became a werewolf, if he’d been cursed. She hadn’t asked him about that yet.</p>
<p>“I can feel you staring,” Geralt rumbled, making her jump. He chuckled as the movement rippled through the bed. “What are you thinking?”</p>
<p>She swallowed. “I was wondering how you have a scar. Did that happen… before you were turned?”</p>
<p>He shook his head, his eyes still shut. “I was never turned. I was born a werewolf. If I heal quickly, there’s no scar. But if a wound is deep enough, and takes longer, I can scar just like a human.”</p>
<p>She nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. The corners of his lips turned up unexpectedly. “That’s not what you were thinking about, Robin.”</p>
<p>“How do you know?” she retorted, even though he was very, very right.</p>
<p>“Call it a lucky guess, if you’d like,” he answered, opening his eyes and looking at her.</p>
<p>She supposed that some might find his eyes frightening, but she thought they were quite beautiful.</p>
<p>She reached out and tentatively put her hand on his chest, feeling the corded muscled underneath his slightly rough, damp skin.</p>
<p>“Would you be offended if I told you I was thinking about what it would be like to have sex with you?” she murmured.</p>
<p>Geralt’s eyes swept her up and down. “No, I wouldn’t. But I’m afraid I won’t do for you. You’re a… well.”</p>
<p>She snorted. “What? You kill monsters for a living, but can’t say the word virgin?”</p>
<p>“I’m not in the business of deflowering people,” Geralt explained patiently. “I’m not suitable for you, Robin. You’ve seen my life. It’s hard and it’s long and it’s never going to be anything other than what it is.”</p>
<p>The words stung her more than she cared to admit. He was talking like she had asked him to settle down in a quaint little cottage in the woods, and it was far simpler than that. She just wanted him to bed her.</p>
<p>She thought about explaining, but realized she couldn’t. She had opened up to him like she never had to anyone else, and somehow he had completely misunderstood her.</p>
<p>It was just too much to bear.</p>
<p>Slowly, she withdrew her hand, then slipped out of the bed. She was only wearing her shift, so she threw her cloak on over it before padding out of the room and down to the main floor of the inn.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter Nine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geralt tries to apologize. He’s not great at it, but it’s the thought that counts, right?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Lyria, 1239</b>
</p>
<p>After the door softly shut, Geralt slowly sat up. He had no idea what he’d said wrong, but he’d clearly offended her. After thinking for a moment, he got up, hastily pulled on his pants and shirt, and followed her downstairs.</p>
<p>It was late, and the inn was mostly empty. It wasn’t hard to find her by the fire. He sat down in the chair beside her and turned to her, frowning when she didn’t look at him. “Come back upstairs,” he said shortly.</p>
<p>“I’ll be fine right here,” she replied. “It’s warm enough.”</p>
<p>He sighed. “What did I do wrong?” he asked begrudgingly, not really ready to have this conversation with her.</p>
<p>Every once in a while, it happened. A woman thought being with a witcher was romantic and envisioned a whole life with him. The last thing he needed was the undivided attention of some doe-eyed virgin.</p>
<p>“All I did was tell you the truth,” he added.</p>
<p>“The truth based on what you assume I’m thinking,” she clarified, staring into the fire.</p>
<p>He swallowed. Against his better judgment, he was curious. “What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“I know that I’m young, probably especially by your standards. I don’t know exactly how old you are, but I know it’s older than you look. But just because I’m young doesn’t mean that I’m some silly girl, Geralt. If I was ever silly, and I don’t think I was, that part of me vanished long ago.”</p>
<p>His brow furrowed as she continued.</p>
<p>“You listened to me talk about my life. You know that I can’t go home. I don’t know where my brother is, and even if I did, I would likely put him in danger if I stayed with him. I spent a decade with a man who tried to abuse me just so my magic didn’t kill me or drive me mad, and even if I could find another mage to teach me, or find work utilizing the little magic I know, my natural skill in necromancy will always put me at risk.”</p>
<p>He knew all of that. That was exactly why he assumed she was looking for a happy ending.</p>
<p>“I’m not looking to fall in love and live happily ever after, Geralt. I have to stop Yennefer. I have my own mission, just like you have yours. I just thought that, for once, I could make a choice for myself. That I could choose when something in my life happened, rather than waiting to have it taken from me. You know that others have tried.”</p>
<p>He nodded. He couldn’t argue that point.</p>
<p>“I’m not delusional, Geralt. I know that you’re not looking for anything permanent. I’m not either. It’s just that you’re the only person besides my brother who’s ever listened to me, who’s cared even a little. I felt like you saw me and understood me in a way most people never will, until you talked to me like I’m some daft girl up there.”</p>
<p>He bit his lip. He had jumped immediately to that conclusion, despite everything she had told him. It was just what he was used to. He hadn’t exactly dealt with someone quite like her before, even with how old he was.</p>
<p>“Traveling with you, ironically, is the only time in my life that I’ve felt safe,” she confessed. “I am fully aware of how ridiculous that is, but that’s the kind of life I’ve had.”</p>
<p>His hands tightened where they were resting against his thighs. She was right about that. If someone felt safe with a witcher, their life couldn’t have been very safe.</p>
<p>“I could do worse than choose you to… deflower me, Geralt,” she said wryly, using his earlier wording. “I’m not expecting it to last forever. I’m not expecting it to last more than one day. But one night in a warm bed with a man I chose would be one of the best nights I’ve ever spent. That’s all.”</p>
<p>She fell silent and Geralt looked at her.</p>
<p>Not just glanced. Really looked at her.</p>
<p>He’d seen women from one end of the Continent to the other. By most standards, she would be considered plain. But he could see the beauty he imagined others would overlook.</p>
<p>Her long, dark brown hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun, but it was thick and shiny. Her pale skin glowed in the dim firelight, and he could tell just by looking that it would be soft. Her nose had a fetching swoop at the end of it, and he knew from days of sharing Roach with her that her body was lush and curvy under her shift and cloak.</p>
<p>Finally, she turned her head and looked at him, letting him notice more. Her hazel eyes had tiny flecks of green in them, and her mouth was full and pink, practically begging to be kissed, if he was being entirely honest with himself.</p>
<p>“I never thought of it like that,” he confessed, his voice rough. “I’m… not used to thinking of other people. Not for an extended period of time, anyway.”</p>
<p>He stood and then bent down in front of her, putting his hands on the arms of her chair and gazing up at her. “So are you coming back upstairs?”</p>
<p>She looked at him through her lashes, suddenly shy. “What are we going to do?”</p>
<p>Geralt smirked. “I’m going to deflower you, Robin,” he told her.</p>
<p>She beamed at him suddenly, and he found himself warmed head to toe by the smile.</p>
<p>“All right, but I’m only going to let you if you stop saying deflower,” she bargained, making him laugh.</p>
<p>“Deal,” Geralt promised.</p>
<p>Then, before she could stand, he scooped her up into his arms and cradled her against his chest. She giggled, a sound he realized he would be quite happy to hear again, and put her arms around his neck as he carried her to the stairs and back up to their room.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter Ten</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geralt deflowers Robin. Sorry. It just had to be said one more time.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Lyria, 1239</b>
</p>
<p>Robin’s heart fluttered with excitement as Geralt carried her easily up the stairs. She knew that, as a witcher, and probably as a werewolf too, he was stronger than most men, but it still made her feel beautiful and light. She’d always been bigger, a fact that her mother had seriously lamented when she was a girl, but Geralt didn’t seem bothered at all.</p>
<p>“Are you going to kiss me?” she asked breathlessly as Geralt strode back into their room and shut the door behind them.</p>
<p>“When I can do it properly, yes,” he answered, setting her back on her feet.</p>
<p>Then he took her face between his hands and bent until their lips met. He was almost a foot taller than her, and she rose up onto her tiptoes to meet him.</p>
<p>She’d never been kissed before. She had been too young to attend any of the parties intended to foster noble matches, and then her magic had rendered that path unavailable to her.</p>
<p>Now she was glad she’d waited. She was quite sure that being kissed by Geralt was better than a quick kiss stolen by a noble boy in a dark corner at a ball.</p>
<p>Geralt’s kiss was gentle, but forceful. His hands were rough against her cheeks. She clasped his sides to keep herself steady, though she was sure that he would never let her fall. At first, it was just their lips touching, but when she made a soft sound against his mouth, he opened his and traced his tongue over her lips.</p>
<p>She moaned, opening wider for him as he slid his hands down and pushed her cloak from her shoulders. His hands wandered further as their tongues tangled together, feeling her through the thin fabric of her shift.</p>
<p>She moved her hands to his shoulders as he hitched the shift up, kissing his way down her neck to her cleavage. She gasped every time his lips touched her skin, her voice quivering as she tried to warn him, but she couldn’t get the words out.</p>
<p>When he pulled the shift up and over her head and dropped it on the floor, he stopped, stepping back. She bit her lip and quickly cast her eyes down, unable to meet his gaze.</p>
<p>“Are they hideous?” she whispered, afraid of what his answer might be.</p>
<p>“What are they?” he asked, gazing at her in awe.</p>
<p>She forced herself to meet his eyes, shocked at the look on his face. He didn’t look horrified. Surprised, yes, but he seemed… impressed, she thought.</p>
<p>She straightened up, forcing her arms to her sides, and let him look as she explained.</p>
<p>“They’re his handprints,” she murmured. “Every time he tried to touch me, it left a mark. They don’t hurt. They didn’t hurt when they happened. But no one else has ever seen them. I was afraid they might be frightening or… ugly.”</p>
<p>“They’re not ugly, Robin,” he assured her instantly. “They’re… lovely, actually.”</p>
<p>She blinked. “Lovely?”</p>
<p>He nodded. “It’s like seeing the strength I know you have inside on the outside of your body,” he told her.</p>
<p>He stepped forward and took her hands in his, his eyes roaming over her. “But I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you have to have his hands burned into you for the rest of your life.”</p>
<p>She shrugged. “I’m alive and he’s dead. There’s nothing to be sorry for. You weren’t there. You didn’t know. And since we both agreed to stop thanking each other for every little thing, I think we should stop apologizing too, unless it’s absolutely warranted.”</p>
<p>He chuckled. “Agreed,” he whispered, then bent to kiss her mouth again.</p>
<p>He reached up to take down her hair, letting it cascade over her shoulders and back in waves. She pushed his shirt up at the same time and he raised his arms to let her take it off.</p>
<p>He lifted her as she ran her hands over his chest, pleased when she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her over to the bed, laying her down and crawling in on top of her. He supported his weight on his arms so he wouldn’t crush her, roughly claiming her mouth as she ran her fingers through his hair, undoing the leather thong holding some of it back.</p>
<p>She smelled like lavender and tasted like mint. It was divine. Her pale skin glowed in the firelight, soft and warm against him. He was already completely hard, and he could have taken her right then, but he was going to do this right.</p>
<p>She slid her hand down between his legs, gasping into his mouth when she felt his long, thick, throbbing cock. “Geralt…” she murmured, her toes curling in anticipation as she squeezed him experimentally.</p>
<p>“Not yet,” he growled, nipping at her skin. “Would you be upset if I marked you, Robin?” he asked.</p>
<p>He wasn’t sure how she would feel about it, considering. But her answer was instant and eager.</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>His lips fastened against her neck and he sucked a purple bruise into her pale flesh. He continued on a slow downward path, sucking mark after mark, spreading his legs to support his weight on his knees so he could cup her breasts in his hands.</p>
<p>She arched her back and moaned as he squeezed them, watching as the rounded globes spilled over the edges of his palms. “You have beautiful breasts, Robin,” he complimented her. “They don’t even fit in my hands.”</p>
<p>When he reached the base of her neck, he dragged his mouth down to her cleavage, burying his face there as he kneaded her, his fingers finding her rapidly swelling nipples and teasingly plucking at them.</p>
<p>Every time he touched her, she made a new sound. He wanted to remember what elicited each one so he could hear them all again.</p>
<p>It was an odd desire for him. He’d never wanted the same partner again before.</p>
<p>But he didn’t want to get caught up in his thoughts and ignore the moment, so he pushed his questions aside and focused on her.</p>
<p>He opened his mouth and hovered over her breast, glancing up at her as he took her straining pink nipple between his lips and sucked deeply. She twisted underneath him before he let her go with a wet pop, then moved to her other breast and did the same.</p>
<p>He could have spent hours worshipping just her breasts, but they weren’t his priority right now. He was more interested in living up to what he had said and making sure she knew her scars were beautiful.</p>
<p>She stilled completely when he kissed the first one, his fingers tracing the slick, shiny lines of the scar tissue. Using his tongue, his lips, his fingers, and his teeth, he made sure to touch every part of each one from where they started below her breasts and ended at her waist.</p>
<p>He lingered on the soft curve of her belly, especially after she tensed as he reached it. She was obviously self-conscious about her size, but he thought she was extraordinarily pleasing. He showed his further appreciation by squeezing her ass in his hands as he slid down to her knees to her second set of scars.</p>
<p>He took his time with those as well. They extended all the way up her thighs. When he’d thoroughly kissed the last one, he surprised her by flipping her over onto her front so he could tend to the scars on her other side.</p>
<p>As he slid back up, he pressed his pulsing erection against the curve of her bottom, groaning deep in his chest. She turned and looked at him over her shoulder. “Geralt, I can…”</p>
<p>He shook his head vehemently, interrupting her. “Not yet,” he insisted. “I’ll tell you when.”</p>
<p>When he’d finished, he carefully turned her back over. She immediately put her arms around his neck and kissed him eagerly, then pushed up against his shoulders. He obliged her, rolling onto his back, smiling up at her when he saw that she was smiling down at him.</p>
<p>“It’s your turn,” she informed him softly.</p>
<p>She lightly kissed the two small scars by his eye before tracing the larger one on his chest and leaning down to kiss it. “Kikimora,” he said to distract himself. “Not the hardest thing for a witcher to kill, but they get the better of me every once in a while.”</p>
<p>He didn’t have as many scars as her, but the story behind each one was more lengthy and less infuriating than all of hers put together.</p>
<p>He let her undo his pants and peel them down, propping himself up a bit so he could see how she’d react when his cock sprang free. He’d received a variety of reactions, so he wasn’t expecting any particular one from her. He just found himself looking forward to all of her reactions. Every look, every sound, entranced him for no worldly reason he could explain.</p>
<p>Her eyes widened briefly and she bit her full lower lip, now slightly swollen from all of the kissing they’d done so far. But she looked away from it and down the rest of his body as she tugged the fabric down, stopping when she found another scar on his knee.</p>
<p>“Blaviken. A princess gave me that one.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think we should talk about that while we’re in bed together,” she replied archly, winking at him to show she was teasing.</p>
<p>He laughed throatily as she finished taking his pants off. “I thought you’d have more,” she revealed, her fingers skimming over his legs.</p>
<p>“Not to brag, but I’m very good at what I do.”</p>
<p>His eyes closed as he enjoyed the feeling of her fingers on his skin. He could tell she was moving, even though he wasn’t looking at her, but he wasn’t prepared when she bent and pressed several soft kisses to his rigid length.</p>
<p>“Fuck, Robin,” he hissed, his eyes flying open.</p>
<p>The thought of her lips wrapped around him while his cock pumped in and out of her hot, wet mouth was almost irresistible, but not in his plan for the evening. So he sank his fingers into her hair and lifted her back up, kissing her deeply, thrusting his tongue between her lips as he rolled her over.</p>
<p>“I want you,” he rasped.</p>
<p>She nodded eagerly. “Yes, Geralt. Please,” she begged.</p>
<p>“Tell me to stop if it doesn’t feel good,” he insisted, pushing her thick thighs apart with his hands and inhaling deeply. “You’re ready for me,” he murmured excitedly.</p>
<p>“How do you know?” she wondered timidly.</p>
<p>“I can smell it,” he confessed.</p>
<p>It was one of the few perks of being a werewolf. He could smell practically anything from quite a ways away.</p>
<p>Her entire body flushed at the revelation. He could feel the heat rolling off of her in waves as he positioned himself, rubbing his cock against her entrance to ready her.</p>
<p>Just as he was about to push in, though, she braced her hands against his chest. “Stop,” she pleaded, clearly afraid.</p>
<p>He stilled immediately, gazing down at her. “Talk to me, Robin,” he urged, wanting to know if he’d done something wrong.</p>
<p>“What if I burn you, Geralt?” She was panicking. “What if something happens when you… I’m so hot inside, I… I don’t want to hurt you.”</p>
<p>He smiled when he realized that she wasn’t afraid of him. It was quite the opposite. It was rare that anyone was concerned about hurting him.</p>
<p>“I’m not afraid of a little fire, Robin,” he assured her, shifting his hips.</p>
<p>He only had to push forward the slightest bit and he’d be inside her.</p>
<p>She stared up at him, her eyes wide with desire and worry. He held her gaze as he entered her, going slower than he ever had with a woman.</p>
<p>She held her breath, only relaxing when neither of them burst into flames. Her fingers tightened on his broad shoulders, digging into his muscles. He lowered his head, his silver hair falling around both of their faces as their noses touched.</p>
<p>They both breathed in deeply as he pushed all the way inside of her. He focused on her intently, smelling her, listening to the rapid beating of her heart, watching her pupils dilate. He stayed completely still, waiting for a reaction from her.</p>
<p>Finally, she moved her hips as much as she could, which wasn’t much, since he had her pinned to the bed. “Why aren’t you doing anything, Geralt?” she whined.</p>
<p>He chuckled and kissed her, pulling out and then pushing back in slowly, waiting for her to react. Her low cry made him pick up the pace the next time, then again as she got louder.</p>
<p>“Harder, Geralt, please, please…”</p>
<p>Before long, he was thrusting in and out of her with reckless abandon while she held on and begged for more. Her legs and arms were tight around him, their mouths struggling for dominance as they moved together.</p>
<p>When she arched her back again, he could feel the tension in her belly. He slid one hand down to her ass and pressed her up into him, growling against her lips.</p>
<p>“Come for me, Robin.”</p>
<p>She obeyed immediately, burying her face in his neck and crying out as wave after wave of pleasure overtook her. He didn’t hold on much longer, managing one more powerful thrust before he buried himself deep inside of her and spilled his seed.</p>
<p>It was the most satisfied he’d ever been with a woman by far, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind as he kissed her again and pressed her further down into the sheets, intent on having her at least one more time, if not more than that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter Eleven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geralt decides to lie.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Lyria, 1239</b>
</p>
<p>Geralt groaned blissfully and rolled to the side. Robin followed, resting her head against his chest. He threaded his fingers through her hair as his breathing slowed and laughed.</p>
<p>“You’re going to be sore if I keep riding you like this,” he pointed out.</p>
<p>“I don’t care,” she replied.</p>
<p>He chuckled, twirling one of her curls around his finger and smiling down at her.</p>
<p>After a moment of listening, she observed, “Your heartbeat is slower than a human’s.”</p>
<p>He nodded. “That’s a witcher thing,” he explained, his eyes closing involuntarily.</p>
<p>She propped her chin up on his massive pectoral muscle and gazed at his peaceful face. “Not being able to have children is also a witcher thing, right?” she asked nonchalantly.</p>
<p>Geralt hummed. “Yes. You won’t get pregnant. And if you could, I’d be careful. This is no life for a child. It’s barely a life for an adult.”</p>
<p>“It’s hard to argue with that,” she agreed.</p>
<p>He fell silent. He didn’t want to talk about the lonely reality of his life. Not now, when he was full and clean and in this warm, cozy room with her draped across him.</p>
<p>“We should get some sleep,” he suggested.</p>
<p>Robin yawned. “Are we leaving in the morning?”</p>
<p>He shook his head. “No. Don’t worry about that. If we need to leave, I’ll wake you.”</p>
<p>“All right.” She sighed and snuggled closer to him. “Is this okay?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” he told her, still playing with her hair. “I know that we agreed to only apologize if one is, how did you put it? Absolutely warranted,” he remembered. “But this one is most definitely warranted.” He paused, then said, “I’m sorry for my assumption. It was crass of me.”</p>
<p>“It was. Maybe one day you’ll tell me why you made it. But not tonight, please.”</p>
<p>He smiled. “No. Not tonight.”</p>
<p>“Thank you.” Then she giggled. “For the record, I like your crassness, Geralt of Rivia, when it isn’t misdirected.”</p>
<p>“I’ll hold you to that,” he promised.</p>
<p>“That’s entirely fair.”</p>
<p>She fell silent and her breathing gradually evened out until she was asleep.</p>
<p>Geralt opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. As much as he didn’t want to confront the truth about his life, she had forced him to face it now.</p>
<p>Not purposely, of course. He believed that she would never willingly hurt him.</p>
<p>But being with her had been strange for him, and he still needed time to think it through. He had never been with a woman who knew he was both a werewolf and a witcher. He had hardly ever even been with a woman who wasn’t afraid of him in some way, shape, or form. Most of the women he slept with were whores, or women who weren’t at all interested in a permanent companion, like widows. Many viewed him as a novelty, a story to tell in taverns.</p>
<p>He knew that, even if he were to get up and leave her right now, Robin would never tell this story in a tavern. She would likely never tell anyone at all. She had chosen him because of convenience, certainly, but also because she thought he was worthy of her.</p>
<p>She was wholly wrong, but he wasn’t going to try to correct her. Not when being with her had been so incredibly fulfilling.</p>
<p>She had cared about his pleasure. Whores did that, but only because they were getting paid, and most other women had never cared. She had worried that she would hurt him. And after, instead of leaving the bed, asking him to leave the bed, or shying away from him, she had moved even closer and stayed in his arms.</p>
<p>It presented him with an odd conundrum that had been building over the last few days. He had gone back for her in Vizima because he really had been responsible for her predicament. Yes, she’d been looking for him, but she hadn’t known where he was or what he was doing. She had used her powers to help herself and helped him in the process, which was the only reason anyone in the city had known what she could do. And he’d kept her with him because he knew he had to get them far enough away so that they would be safe, whether they parted afterwards or not.</p>
<p>He had planned to set her off on her own as soon as possible, since he hadn’t made her a promise about how long they would travel together. He had also assumed that she would quickly tire of his nomadic and often uncomfortable life. But her lack of complaint so far and the story she’d told him had given him pause. He’d barely traveled with companions before, and certainly not with anyone who didn’t mind the conditions.</p>
<p>And not only did she not mind, she was helpful. He felt cared for, and that was something that hadn’t happened to him in so long that even the brief memory he had was almost entirely faded. And even though her life wasn’t his fault, he still felt bad that it had gone the way it had, and that she had followed up everything that had happened to her by committing herself to stopping this magical plot.</p>
<p>He was just being kind to her about it. He still didn’t think anything was actually going to come of it. He’d kept quiet because Robin clearly believed in it, and because he’d figured it wouldn’t be his responsibility anymore eventually.</p>
<p>But now it occurred to him that the plot was the only thing binding them together. She was staying with him because she thought he was going to help her stop it.</p>
<p>If he told her the truth, she would leave.</p>
<p>And suddenly, in spite of everything he thought he knew about himself, he didn’t want her to.</p>
<p>Suddenly, he wanted to share Roach with her. He wanted to have meals with her at the end of a long day of traveling, come back to her reading and studying after he killed a monster, keep her warm at night, and bed her whenever she wanted.</p>
<p>The way he saw it, he had two choices. He could tell her the truth and make her angry, causing her to leave, or he could lie. Not outwardly, but by omission. She needed to learn more magic, regardless of the plot, and traveling, broadening her horizons with him, would only help that. She also needed information about the conspiracy, and that would be exceedingly hard to find if she stayed in one place.</p>
<p>It wasn’t that he doubted the scheme’s existence. He just doubted its ability to succeed. He really didn’t think that Robin had to expend any of her energy to stop it at all. He also didn’t think that she would listen to him if he told her that again. They may have just met, but he knew that much.</p>
<p>Eventually, it would recede, and she would realize it on her own. Then they’d have to have an entirely new conversation, of course, but at least it would be far in the future and not tomorrow.</p>
<p>Being dishonest was not new to him. He did it all the time.</p>
<p>Being dishonest with her, even in this subtle way, made him feel unexpectedly guilty.</p>
<p>But it was the only solution, because he just wasn’t willing to let her leave him. The idea of her going off into this vast, dangerous world by herself was something he just couldn’t risk.</p>
<p>He turned onto his side, tucking her back against his chest and draping his arm over her. He buried his nose in her hair and took a deep breath, drinking her in.</p>
<p>He’d make it up to her. She wouldn’t know what he was doing it for, necessarily, but he would, and that was what mattered.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter Twelve</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geralt and Robin spend several days away from the world.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Lyria, 1239</b>
</p>
<p>They stayed at the inn for several days. He cited needing to discuss a plan as the reason, but she must have guessed that that wasn’t it, since they spent most of their time in bed together, and not talking.</p>
<p>But she didn’t ever bring it up, so he knew she wasn’t angry about it.</p>
<p>Initially, his thought had been that a few comfortable nights were probably a good way for him to atone. Then, on the second day, he got a better idea and snuck off to the market while she rested.</p>
<p>He returned with several items. When she rolled over and complained that he’d left her to chill between the sheets, he set them on the table and went to her immediately.</p>
<p>She only noticed his purchases when they finally emerged from bed to have a hot meal. The fur from the bed was wrapped around his waist and her middle, so when he sat down, he kept her in his lap.</p>
<p>“What did you buy?” she asked, plucking an olive off of the tray that had been brought.</p>
<p>He’d requested extra olives specifically because he’d come to realize she greatly enjoyed them. He never ate any himself, preferring to watch her eat them all.</p>
<p>He shrugged nonchalantly. “I found them in the market while I was browsing and I thought you might like them.”</p>
<p>He had, of course, gone there precisely to look for those things, but she didn’t need to know that. This was his silent apology.</p>
<p>She fingered the bunches of lavender and mint. He’d also gotten basil and dill. “Your lavender and mint are running low,” he mentioned. He’d noticed that she kept bunches of them in her rucksack. “I just thought you might like the other two for cooking.”</p>
<p>“Yes, thank you,” she murmured, waving her fingers over them and casting a quick enchantment to keep them fresh.</p>
<p>It was one of the most useful ones she knew, and very suited to traveling.</p>
<p>He held his breath slightly as she opened the leatherbound book next. “It’s blank,” she observed, glancing at him.</p>
<p>“I thought you might need something to write in. For your studies, or whatever else you’d like. The velvet bag contains the rest of the supplies.”</p>
<p>She ran her hand over the crisp paper before shutting the book and pulling the drawstring on the small black purse. There were several bottles of ink inside, along with two quills and a quill sharpener.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Geralt,” she repeated. “This is all very thoughtful.”</p>
<p>She turned and their noses brushed, making him smile. She laughed lightly and kissed the cleft in his chin. He closed his eyes as she did, appreciating the affection of the gesture. She seemed to favor that part of him, and he didn’t mind at all.</p>
<p>“I’m not complaining about the past few days,” she started once she was finished, “but do we have a plan?”</p>
<p>He nodded as they began to eat more heartily. He also knew that their little diversion couldn’t last, as much as he wanted it to. “I heard a rumor in the marketplace today,” he explained, “that they’re having trouble at the Edge of the World. Dol Blathanna. It’s hard to tell exactly what it is. They frequently have scuffles out there because of the proximity of elves and humans. But there might be work, and it’s fairly close.”</p>
<p>“We’ll leave in the morning, then?”</p>
<p>“Yes, I think that would be best.”</p>
<p>“So we still have tonight,” she whispered.</p>
<p>She took a grape, tracing his lips with it, and then slipped it into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, then slid his hand up into her hair and kissed her deeply.</p>
<p>Tomorrow, the bubble would break. He wasn’t sure what would happen then. But they still had tonight, and he planned to enjoy her for every second of it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter Thirteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Robin gets a surprise on the road, and Geralt opens up slightly about his past.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Road to Dol Blathanna, 1239</b>
</p>
<p>Robin leaned comfortably against Geralt, breathing in the fresh, dry air. If she hadn’t still been with him now, she would have thought the last few days were some sort of dream.</p>
<p>Of course, she assumed that the way they had been in Lyria was over, but she’d always have the memory of it, at least. She would treasure it forever.</p>
<p>When they stopped that night, she set up camp and Geralt went to hunt. He came back with several rabbits and she used some of the supplies they’d packed to start a stew over the fire.</p>
<p>As it bubbled, she read one of the magic texts she’d purchased, making little notes in the book he’d gotten her as she did. Some of the information seemed quite tedious because she already knew it, but she still felt that it was important for her to start at the beginning and smooth over any mistakes Melcedem had inevitably made.</p>
<p>When she glanced up at the fire, she saw Geralt watching her and raised her eyebrows. “What?” she wondered.</p>
<p>“Magic is useful, but only to a point,” he explained. “I think you should learn how to physically fight.”</p>
<p>She laughed. “And who’s going to teach me that? You?”</p>
<p>He nodded seriously, so she shut her book and put it back in her rucksack.</p>
<p>“All right. Show me.”</p>
<p>She stood and he came over to her, nodding at her bodice. “Take out the dagger I got you. It’s not going to be much good if you don’t know how to use it.”</p>
<p>She let him curl her fingers around the handle. “A dagger is a weapon meant to be used close up,” he started. “Don’t yank it out and threaten someone with it unless you think there’s a chance it might actually make them leave without harassing you. Otherwise, you want to keep it hidden until you can stab them with it.”</p>
<p>“And,” he continued, “you want to be careful about where you strike. It’s not going to do you any good if you get it stuck between someone’s ribs or just graze a bone in their arm with it.”</p>
<p>He brushed his fingers over a spot on her neck, then pressed against it. “Carotid artery,” he murmured close to her ear. “You can feel the blood pounding through it, can’t you?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” she whispered, her heart speeding up as she remembered everything he’d done to the delicate skin on her neck while they were in Lyria.</p>
<p>She felt him smile at her reaction. “Even if you just nick it, an attacker will be dead in moments. And if you don’t hit it, you’re still likely to get them in the neck or face, which is good.”</p>
<p>“The other best spot is here,” he continued, hitching her skirt up and finding her thigh.</p>
<p>She couldn’t suppress her gasp at the touch, though she composed herself quickly after.</p>
<p>“This one is a little harder to get to, obviously, depending on the situation. But same result if it’s nicked. Be smart. It’s not the number or the frequency that counts. It’s what you hit.”</p>
<p>Slowly, he turned her around, sliding his hand up until he was cupping her mound. She gasped again and grabbed his upper arms, squeezing him tight. “Geralt…” she practically moaned, blushing at the sound as it came out of her mouth.</p>
<p>He moved his other hand up her bodice, carefully sliding the dagger back into its hiding spot before cupping one of her breasts and pushing it up and almost out of the fabric. He bent to kiss it, his fingers making quick work of the ties on her undergarments so he could sink them inside her.</p>
<p>She was more than ready and moaned loudly on purpose this time. As she clenched around his fingers, she whimpered, “I… I thought…”</p>
<p>Geralt moved to her other breast, squeezing and jiggling it in his hand before kissing it. “You thought what?” he asked softly.</p>
<p>“I thought that… after Lyria… we wouldn’t…” she trailed off self-consciously.</p>
<p>She wanted him to, more than anything. Everything he had done to her had felt wonderful. But she also hadn’t wanted to prove him right. To make him assume that she was some lovestruck ninny who wouldn’t be able to let him go.</p>
<p>“Do you want to?” he growled.</p>
<p>“Yes,” she breathed immediately, her hands moving to his pants and starting to unlace them since he was already straining against their confines.</p>
<p>“Then there’s no reason we can’t. It’s just sex, Robin.”</p>
<p>“Just sex, Geralt,” she repeated.</p>
<p>Then she looked around, realizing where they were, and blinked. “But how are we supposed to do it here?”</p>
<p>Geralt had lifted her up into his arms before she could even finish the question. He sat down on the ground, stretching his legs out, letting her rest in his lap. He fluffed out her skirts and pulled her close until his throbbing cock was pressing against her entrance.</p>
<p>She put her arms around his shoulders, groaning in anticipation. “Like this?”</p>
<p>She swallowed nervously, looking up at him for guidance.</p>
<p>“Is there something wrong with this?”</p>
<p>He kissed her before she could answer, tangling his tongue around hers. He wanted to be inside her now.</p>
<p>“I was never on top before,” she confessed worriedly.</p>
<p>She didn’t want to do it wrong and disappoint him.</p>
<p>“I’ll help you, Robin,” Geralt assured her, then lifted her and pushed her down on him, letting out an immensely satisfied sound as she enveloped his cock in her warm wetness.</p>
<p>He gripped her hips underneath her dress, looking down so he could watch her breasts bounce as he lifted her up and down. She interrupted that view when she kissed him again and started to move on her own, just as desperate for release as he seemed to be.</p>
<p>It wasn’t long before she cleaved to him and quivered with a long cry. After two more sloppy thrusts, he was spilling himself inside her, his fingers leaving marks on her hips as he held her tightly against him.</p>
<p>Once they’d cleaned up and put themselves back together, they moved over to the fire and the finished stew. Geralt set the pot on the ground in front of them and they both ate right out of it.</p>
<p>After a few bites, Robin glanced sideways at him. When he caught her staring and she quickly looked away, he laughed and nudged her. “You just had my cock in you out in the open, Robin,” he reminded her. “You can ask me a question.”</p>
<p>Her cheeks pinked again and he licked his lips at the sight. After a moment, she quickly blurted out, “Will you tell me about your past?”</p>
<p>She was very curious, naturally. But she didn’t want him to feel obligated to tell, either.</p>
<p>He took another bite and chewed, obviously thinking. Then he shrugged. “There isn’t much to tell, really. When I was a young boy, many decades ago, my mother gave me to a witcher. That man took me to Kaer Morhen, where I trained and became what I am now. I travel from place to place, killing monsters, and most people hate me in spite of it. It really doesn’t make for much of a tale.”</p>
<p>She hadn’t expected anything different. It was probably the nicest version of the story there was, really. But there were other things she was more curious about. “You said the other witchers couldn’t tell you were a werewolf. But it’s your job to find monsters, so… how?”</p>
<p>“I didn’t know I was a werewolf when I went. I didn’t know until several years later, actually, and since I transformed out of sight of anyone else, I wasn’t found out. As to the how, I’m not really sure, honestly, except for that when I transform, I don’t become part man and part beast. I become an actual wolf.”</p>
<p>“I’ve never read of that,” she mentioned, mulling the idea over.</p>
<p>“Nor have I,” he confirmed. “I can’t be certain, of course, but my guess is that since neither form is very technically an abomination, I don’t register as a monster in some ways. Though I still do in others. As you’ve seen, for instance, I react to silver like any other monster I’ve ever fought.”</p>
<p>He paused. Neither of them said anything for a few moments.</p>
<p>“I’m in complete control of myself when I transform, if you were worried.” He looked up at the sky. The moon that hung in it was almost full. “In fact, I don’t have to change at all, unless I want to. I was born, not cursed, so I’m not as wild as I might be otherwise. I can even remember what I do when I’m transformed.”</p>
<p>She frowned. While some of what he’d said fit the lore she’d heard, other parts didn’t, and that disturbed her.</p>
<p>“Don’t you find it troublesome that you don’t seem to fit the traditional rules you know to be true?”</p>
<p>He shrugged. “I always assumed that the mutagens that made me a witcher changed that part of me somehow. It’s not such a ridiculous idea, I don’t think. After all, they also made me stronger and extended my lifespan.”</p>
<p>“How did the men in Vizima know? I thought they were just repeating a strange rumor, but…”</p>
<p>“It happens from time to time,” Geralt revealed. “Mostly because of the nickname. The White Wolf. And the silver wolf medallion doesn’t help either.”</p>
<p>“But that just indicates the witcher school you went to, doesn’t it?”</p>
<p>“It does. You’re more well-informed than most, Robin.”</p>
<p>“There wasn’t much to do in Melcedem’s tower except read, and he had a lot of books.” She hesitated, then added, “You don’t let much bother you, do you, Geralt?”</p>
<p>He shook his head. “What’s the point in worrying? Especially since I’ve already lived a longer life than most. I hardly have anything to complain about.”</p>
<p>“Do you like being a witcher, then?”</p>
<p>She hoped he could tell it was a serious question. It sounded like he hadn’t had a choice about becoming a witcher, just like she hadn’t had a choice about becoming a mage, but it was stil what he had ended up doing.</p>
<p>Geralt opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again. After another bite, he confessed, “I don’t really know if I’ve ever thought about it that way. I’m good at it, but that’s not quite the same thing, is it?”</p>
<p>“Perhaps not,” she agreed, “but then again, what do we know?”</p>
<p>He laughed loudly at that and then leaned over to kiss her cheek. She smiled giddily at the gesture and glanced up at him from under her lashes.</p>
<p>“Just know that none of it will change the way I think of you, Geralt,” she told him sincerely. “And if you ever want to say more, I’ll listen and be sympathetic.”</p>
<p>“I know you will, Robin.”</p>
<p>He fell silent as he began to eat again, and not for the first time, she found herself wondering what he was thinking.</p>
<p>If she had been skilled in the right kind of magic, she might have been able to find out by reading his mind.</p>
<p>But even if she had that ability, she wasn’t sure she would use it. It wasn’t information she had to know, and besides, it was much more satisfying to have him tell her himself.</p>
<p>Geralt leaned over and kissed her, surprising her out of her thoughts. “May I bed you again after dinner, Robin?” he murmured.</p>
<p>She nodded. It was clear that their conversation was over, at least for now. Not that she minded that much.</p>
<p>But her curiosity wasn’t going to vanish. As they finished eating, she reminded herself to find a book about werewolves at the next market they rode through.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter Fourteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Robin runs into someone unexpected.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Posada, 1240</b>
</p>
<p>Several days of riding brought them into a new year as they arrived at the small border town of Posada. When they dismounted and made their way to the front door of the inn, they heard a bard singing loudly about abortion inside.</p>
<p>“Charming,” Geralt murmured, smirking as Robin laughed beside him.</p>
<p>“What, you don’t enjoy a good bawdy song every once in a while?” she teased.</p>
<p>Geralt shrugged and Robin continued to listen. There was something vaguely familiar about the bard’s voice, but she couldn’t imagine why. If she’d ever met a bard, and she didn’t think she had, it would have been before she went to Melcedem’s tower, and that had been long ago.</p>
<p>Geralt opened the door, letting her step inside first. The bard was being pelted by bread, and Geralt took her hand, sliding smoothly past the commotion to sit at a corner table.</p>
<p>“Stop! Fuck off!” the bard yelled. “I’m so glad that I could bring you all together like this. Unbelievable.”</p>
<p>He knelt and began to shove all of the thrown bread into his pants. The action made Robin laugh again. She supposed beggars couldn’t be choosers.</p>
<p>When the bard stood, he glanced in Geralt and Robin’s direction. His head tilted curiously and he slowly walked toward them, staring.</p>
<p>Once she got a good look at him, she stared right back, stunned.</p>
<p>For a moment, she thought she was dreaming. What she was seeing was impossible. It just couldn’t be.</p>
<p>Yet here he was.</p>
<p>Geralt’s hand moved to his iron sword and he looked at the bard warily. “Robin, what is it?” he asked, his voice low so no one else could hear.</p>
<p>She didn’t answer him. She was too busy trying to keep her hands from trembling as the bard stopped in front of her.</p>
<p>“Is it really you, Robin?” he wondered. </p>
<p>She nodded and swallowed as tears came to her eyes. “Yes, it’s me.” She brought her hands up to touch his face and he smiled gently. “I thought I was never going to see you again.”</p>
<p>“Well, same here,” he replied, sniffling as he pulled her into a tight hug.</p>
<p>Geralt shot up out of his seat, his chair making a scraping sound against the floor. His chest heaved angrily as he growled, “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your… friend, Robin?”</p>
<p>She didn’t let go of the man as she answered. “Geralt, this is my brother, Jaskier,” she whispered.</p>
<p>Geralt huffed and relaxed, stepping back slightly. “Your… brother?”</p>
<p>Jaskier giggled and immediately became jovial. “I think your man assumed he had competition,” he joked, playfully nudging her.</p>
<p>“Competition?” Robin turned and studied Geralt’s face, which still held the vestiges of worry and rage he’d been experiencing only moments before. “You thought he was…?” She laughed unexpectedly. “Oh. Oh, no. Oh, that is gross.”</p>
<p>She giggled hysterically and Jaskier smirked, holding her against his chest affectionately. “Brother and sister, big man. Not lovers. Our family’s vaguely scandalous, but not quite that scandalous.”</p>
<p>Geralt made a noise deep in his chest and abruptly sat back down, crossing his arms and glaring straight ahead.</p>
<p>“I love the way he just sits in the corner and broods,” Jaskier observed blithely. “An interesting choice of companion, dear sister.”</p>
<p>He sat down across from Geralt. Robin followed, keeping her hands firmly on his arm, like he might disappear if she let go. “Well, are you going to tell me how you got away from that infernal mage and his tower? Come on. You don’t want to keep a man with… bread in his pants waiting, do you?”</p>
<p>He grimaced and shifted uncomfortably, reaching into his pockets to move the bread around. Robin smiled. “Jas, you don’t need that bread. I’m buying dinner, all right?”</p>
<p>“Well, all right, moneybags,” he agreed, clearly grateful, quickly moving on to distract from his obvious need for help. “So, um, what did you think of my performance? You’re the only two who didn’t comment.”</p>
<p>“Funny,” Robin assured him immediately. “Maybe a bit too much for this crowd,” she pointed out.</p>
<p>Jaskier nodded and then looked at Geralt. “And what about you, um…” He paused. “What did my sister call you? Broody McBrooders? You must have some review for me. Three words or less.”</p>
<p>Robin hadn’t torn her eyes away from her brother, so she didn’t see the look on Geralt’s face until her head snapped in his direction as he gruffly replied, “They don’t exist.”</p>
<p>“What don’t exist?” Jaskier wondered, unperturbed.</p>
<p>“The creatures in your song,” Geralt clarified.</p>
<p>“And how would you know?” Jaskier chuckled.</p>
<p>Then he really looked at the man and recognition dawned in his eyes. “Oh, fun. White hair, two very scary-looking swords. I know who you are. You’re a witcher. Geralt of Rivia.”</p>
<p>Geralt rolled his eyes and grunted affirmatively.</p>
<p>“Called it!” Jaskier yelled excitedly, thumping his hand against the table.</p>
<p>He glanced at Robin, then back at Geralt. “I thought you were supposed to be a big old loner. What are you doing hanging out with my charming sibling?”</p>
<p>“Geralt’s helping me with a problem,” Robin explained, giving the witcher an odd look.</p>
<p>She didn’t understand the mood he was suddenly in. He’d been quite happy, for him, at least, on the road.</p>
<p>“Oh, so you hired him, then?” Jaskier asked, interrupting her thoughts. “What are you, loaded or something? I’ve heard witchers are expensive.”</p>
<p>“It depends on the job,” Geralt broke in.</p>
<p>At the same time, Robin continued, “Well, I’m not paying in the traditional sense.”</p>
<p>Jaskier’s eyes flicked up and down the strapping man sitting across from him. “Well, I’m impressed, big sister. I’ll get a better look at him the next time he stands up, but I do think you’ve chosen well if you were looking for a stud horse.”</p>
<p>“Jas!” she hissed, playfully smacking him in the chest and blushing furiously.</p>
<p>“What? I’m right, aren’t I? Although the possessiveness could be a red flag, you know. Might want to get that under control. Sounds like it’s just contractual between you, Mr. of Rivia.”</p>
<p>Geralt rolled his eyes again at the name, but Robin laughed, making Jaskier smile again. “I missed your laugh, Robin,” he told her sincerely.</p>
<p>“I missed everything about you,” she sighed, reaching up and touching his hair. “You got so tall.”</p>
<p>Jaskier blushed. “Not as tall as Geralt, but taller than you. Not that that took much. You’re the same size as when you left.”</p>
<p>His face fell as he brought it up and she shook her head at him. “No more talk of that, Jas.”</p>
<p>She was going to say more, but a woman stopped at their table and asked if they wanted anything. Robin ordered food and drinks for everyone, and before she could speak, Jaskier prodded, “So, tell me what’s happened since you left.”</p>
<p>“You first,” she insisted. “I heard about it when you ran away. I wanted to find you, but there was no way to, and I couldn’t have escaped then anyway. What happened, Jas?”</p>
<p>Jaskier looked down at his lap uncomfortably, fiddling with a loose string on his pants. “Well, you know Father and Mother. Their obsession with increasing their status only increased after you went away. They were looking for the best match for me they could possibly find.”</p>
<p>She grimaced. “I can’t imagine their daughter being a mage helped with that. Though I’m sure they didn’t tell anybody.”</p>
<p>“They certainly didn’t,” he confessed quietly. “No one knew at all, so they just told everyone that you died.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Robin murmured, folding her hands on her lap and trying not to be upset.</p>
<p>She’d known long ago that they had been unhappy with how she turned out. It shouldn’t have surprised her at all. But, even after all this time, it still hurt.</p>
<p>Jaskier reached out and squeezed her hand, looking at her apologetically. “It’s all right, Robin. They’re not worth being upset over. Not after what they did to us.”</p>
<p>“I know, Jas,” she told him.</p>
<p>Geralt stared at her from across the table, his hands tight fists against the rough wooden surface. He looked away as Jaskier noticed, though he didn’t say anything. He just put both of his arms around his sister and rocked her a bit.</p>
<p>“I did what you said after you left,” he told her. “Remembered your stories. I even tried to make my own, but I was quite terrible at it.” She laughed and he smiled. “One day a bard visited the estate. I couldn’t get enough of listening to him play. Before he left, he gave me an old lute of his and showed me how to play it a bit. I practiced and practiced, and finally I was able to compose my own songs. I made several of your stories into songs.”</p>
<p>“Really?”</p>
<p>“Really. Like I said, absolute rubbish at making up my own. So I decided I’d travel and collect everyone else’s and make them into songs.”</p>
<p>“You didn’t write the story he was just singing about, did you?” Geralt asked wryly, raising an eyebrow at her.</p>
<p>She giggled and shook her head. “No,” she confirmed.</p>
<p>He smiled at the fact that he’d cheered her up.</p>
<p>“Just a few legends I cabled together. And not very good ones, by your estimation,” Jaskier grumbled. “But oh well. Anyway, as you can imagine, Father and Mother were not happy when I announced that I wanted to be a bard. So I ran away from home. I’ve been going from place to place, earning a living by singing and playing ever since. Sometimes because people actually give me money, and sometimes because they throw bread at me that I can save for a rainy day.”</p>
<p>Robin hugged him tighter and Jaskier kissed her forehead. “Your turn.”</p>
<p>Geralt listened as Robin gave a very abbreviated version of the same story she’d told him. She left out all of Melcedem’s advances, of course, and a lot of their final confrontation, though she did still reveal that she’d killed him.</p>
<p>“Good,” Jaskier huffed. “I heard plenty of rumors about him when I first started traveling. I can’t imagine he was all that good to you.”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about it, Jaskier,” she deflected. “It’s over now. I’m all right.”</p>
<p>“And how did you two meet?” Jaskier inquired as their food arrived. “Perhaps Geralt would pipe up and tell that tale.”</p>
<p>Geralt sighed. “I was in a graveyard fighting necrophages. She showed up and assisted me, then asked for my help. I said no and we parted ways, but I went back when the townspeople came after her for her magic. I’ve since decided we should travel together for the time being, considering the plot she’s uncovered.”</p>
<p>Jaskier tore a chunk of fresh bread off the loaf that had been brought, dipping it into his stew and then chasing it with a piece of fresh cheese. “That’s it? Well, he’s horrible at telling stories too,” Jaskier muttered, winking at Robin. “At least it’s not just me.”</p>
<p>Robin peeled and sliced a pear using her magic and began to eat the slices delicately. “Geralt’s a man of action, not words, Jaskier.”</p>
<p>“Well, that’s perfect, isn’t it? He’s practically begging for a bard.”</p>
<p>Before Geralt could respond, a nervous man stopped by their table and asked to speak with the witcher privately about some work. Geralt rose and went with him without speaking.</p>
<p>“I see what you mean about the words,” Jaskier murmured, staring after him. “My goodness, what a man. Tall and broad and just… thick everywhere. You can’t even be mad that he’s walking away.”</p>
<p>“Jas!”</p>
<p>Robin elbowed him and he laughed. “Well, am I wrong? How did you even manage it? He’s a stallion.”</p>
<p>“I’m not going to talk about that with my brother, Jaskier,” she protested, hesitating. “How did you even know? Is it that obvious?”</p>
<p>“Well, you’re grinning like a schoolgirl, and he’s as prickly as a porcupine when another man so much as looks at you. And I’m not just talking about me. Every man in here has glanced your way, and he’s stared daggers at them until they’ve looked away.”</p>
<p>“He’s just being protective because I got into quite a bit of trouble during the brief time I was on my own,” she hedged. “That’s all.”</p>
<p>Jaskier snorted. “Sure. That’s all.”</p>
<p>He eyed Geralt appreciatively from the front, widening his eyes and looking pointedly at Robin after he’d studied the witcher’s groin. She was bright red when Geralt sat back down and raised an eyebrow at her brother.</p>
<p>“You know I can hear everything you said, right? Witchers have enhanced senses.”</p>
<p>“Then you can back me up,” Jaskier replied easily. “What did that man want?”</p>
<p>“He says that grain is being stolen by a devil. He wants me to kill it.”</p>
<p>“A devil?” Robin wondered.</p>
<p>Geralt shrugged. “Probably something with horns.”</p>
<p>“Well, perfect. I can lend you a hand. I’ve got two, one for each of the devil’s horns,” Jaskier offered.</p>
<p>“No,” Geralt said immediately.</p>
<p>“I won’t be but silent back-up,” Jaskier assured him.</p>
<p>“I don’t think you’ve ever been silent a moment in your life,” Geralt observed pointedly.</p>
<p>Jaskier looked to Robin for a defense, but she shrugged. “He’s not wrong,” she agreed.</p>
<p>“Fine, fine. But I heard your note, and you’re right. Maybe real adventures would make better stories, and you, sir, smell chock-full of them.” Jaskier took a long sniff. “Amongst other things. I mean, what is that? Onion?”</p>
<p>Geralt gave him a withering look and Jaskier shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Whatever it is, you smell of death and destiny. Heroics and heartbreak.” He glanced at Robin. “Though you’d better not make good on that last one, or I’ll kick your arse on her behalf,” he declared boldly, fully aware that he couldn’t.</p>
<p>That made Geralt laugh loudly. Robin finally left Jaskier’s side to go around the table and sit on Geralt’s lap. His arm automatically went around her waist as she whispered in his ear.</p>
<p>“Can he come with us? Please? I’ll protect him, and pay for everything he needs, I promise.”</p>
<p>Geralt sighed. “I thought you said it would be too dangerous for him,” he argued.</p>
<p>“Yes, but I didn’t know he was entirely on his own. He’s going to get into trouble by himself, Geralt, no matter how hard he tries not to.”</p>
<p>She trailed off and squeezed him tightly. He sighed again. “I know, I know. Fine. He can come.”</p>
<p>“Thank you!” She kissed his cheek. “And, for the record, I like the way you smell.”</p>
<p>He smiled as she took her seat again, eating more heartily now that things were decided.</p>
<p>“Excellent!” Jaskier announced. “I shall be your barker, spreading the tales of Geralt of Rivia, the Butcher of Blaviken! Ouch!”</p>
<p>Robin gave him a stern glance and Geralt swallowed a chuckle as he realized that she’d kicked her brother under the table.</p>
<p>“There are no rooms left,” Geralt told them. “I already asked. We’ll find a place to camp for the night and then I’ll go after this devil in the morning.”</p>
<p>“Sounds like a plan,” Jaskier said meekly.</p>
<p>Geralt went back to his dinner and Robin kissed Jaskier’s cheek. “Just be nice,” she admonished him, then shot a look at Geralt. “You too. Nice.”</p>
<p>“Nice,” they both said in unison, Geralt’s deep bass voice rumbling under Jaskier’s higher one.</p>
<p>Robin smiled brilliantly, very pleased that everyone she wanted to protect was suddenly in the same place.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter Fifteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geralt, Robin, and Jaskier hunt a devil.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Dol Blathanna, 1240</b>
</p>
<p>“Reading between the lines, chum,” Jaskier prattled on thoughtfully, “I’d say you’ve got a bit of an… image problem. Robin softens you up, obviously, but no one seems to know about her, so that’s not particularly helpful at the moment.”</p>
<p>“We haven’t known each other that long,” Robin chimed in from her spot in front of Geralt.</p>
<p>Jaskier was walking, but Geralt and Robin were both still riding Roach. The bard was currently making the case for him being allowed to go on Geralt’s actual hunt, which the witcher had strictly forbidden. Robin had acquiesced easily enough, already used to Geralt’s mandates, but Jaskier was insistent.</p>
<p>“Were I to join you on this… feat to defeat the devil of Posada, I could relieve you of that image. Everyone would sing your praises because of the tale, and Geralt of Rivia, the White Wolf, would be a hero, not a pariah.”</p>
<p>“Butcher was right,” Geralt grunted, recalling Jaskier’s earlier comment at the inn.</p>
<p>Robin tipped her head back and looked at him disapprovingly.</p>
<p>“What?” he protested. “Your brother talks too much, and he has delusions of grandeur.”</p>
<p>“I’m aware,” Robin replied. “And yes, one song isn’t going to change everyone’s opinion, but it can’t hurt. I think you’re being far too hard on yourself, Geralt.”</p>
<p>“You don’t know what happened in Blaviken,” he said shortly.</p>
<p>“Well, I would if you’d tell me sometime,” she pointed out. “I know that all of the stories floating around are inaccurate, because they’re all too bloody different. Nobody can get it right, apparently.”</p>
<p>“I can!” Jaskier sang beside them. “Seriously, do you mind if I hop up there with you? It’s just I’m not really wearing the right kind of footwear…”</p>
<p>As Jaskier reached out and touched the horse, Geralt snapped, “Don’t touch Roach!”</p>
<p>Jaskier flinched away and Robin winced. The moment quickly passed as Jaskier told a joke. “I get it. Only people who have touched your cock can touch your horse. I could have touched your cock if I’d gotten to you first.”</p>
<p>Robin snorted her laughter, muffling the noise with her hand as Geralt rolled his eyes. “You are encouraging him,” he chastised her, “and you are far too annoying,” he informed Jaskier. “I would never let you near my cock.”</p>
<p>She laughed harder as Jaskier placed his hand on his chest and acted offended. “Well, at least he’s not a prude, dear sister. He didn’t say I couldn’t touch his cock because I’m a man.”</p>
<p>Geralt groaned softly and tightened an arm around Robin, holding her firmly against him so she wouldn’t literally fall off of the horse because she was laughing so hard.</p>
<p>At the very least, he loved the sound of her laughter. He’d never seen her as happy as she was right now. Which disappointed him more than a little, truthfully. He wanted to be what made her happiest.</p>
<p>But this was her brother. He could hardly begrudge her that. He had no idea what it was like to have a family member who loved him, but he couldn’t deny her that now that she’d found it again.</p>
<p>He also knew she was right. Personally, he thought her brother was an idiot. He was surprised he’d survived this long on his own. He’d fare much better with them, and that would give Robin peace of mind.</p>
<p>He briefly wondered how he’d come to this point. All it had taken was one amazingly beautiful and utterly confusing mage to fall from the sky and he had two traveling companions. He’d gone decades with no one at all by his side, and now he practically had a circus.</p>
<p>“Seriously, though,” Jaskier began again once Robin had stopped laughing. “Are you going to get me a horse? Because I’m not going to be able to keep up.”</p>
<p>“We’ll get you a horse, Jas,” Robin promised.</p>
<p>Geralt nodded his agreement. It would be a necessity if the man was going to stick around. He didn’t think Roach would mind the company, actually, but he didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of saying it. They’d be smug.</p>
<p>“I’m… sorry,” he added. “It’s my natural reaction to keep people away from Roach. I would let you up, but there’s no space in the saddle, and she can’t handle carrying three people.”</p>
<p>“Oohh, he apologizes too, sister? What a progressive man.” Jaskier grinned up at them and Geralt shook his head. “Will Robin ever have her own horse, Geralt?”</p>
<p>“No,” the witcher replied immediately, then grimaced and corrected himself. “If she wants one, of course.”</p>
<p>Robin squeezed his arm soothingly. “I’m just fine right here,” she assured him.</p>
<p>He smiled in spite of everything and bent briefly to gently kiss her neck. Jaskier raised his eyebrows, but didn’t say anything else as Geralt turned his attention back to the matter at hand.</p>
<p>The sun was just starting to set, and he still hadn’t seen a good place to camp. Everything was too exposed here for his liking.</p>
<p>He came to a stop by a giant stalk of flowers and studied the landscape around them. Idly, he picked a flower off of the huge twisted stem, then carefully slipped it into Robin’s braid so it would stay in place by her ear.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” she murmured, beaming.</p>
<p>Jaskier’s eyebrows somehow went higher as he watched both of them. They had it bad for each other, whether they were willing to admit it or not.</p>
<p>He was sure they’d figure it out eventually. They hadn’t known each other for that long, after all, like Robin had said.</p>
<p>He’d get the full story out of her later. He had to, for the exquisite song he was going to write.</p>
<p>He glanced around them as Geralt suddenly dismounted. “You know,” he explained idly, “the elves called this Dol Blathanna before bequeathing it to the humans and retreating into their golden palaces in the mountains.” He paused. “There I go again, just… delivering exposition.”</p>
<p>Robin laughed bitterly. “You don’t really believe that, do you, Jas?”</p>
<p>He rounded on her and looked up at where she sat on Roach. “What do you mean?” he wondered.</p>
<p>“The elves didn’t give the humans anything,” she corrected him. “The humans took it and banished them into the mountains. And there are no golden palaces. Elves are lucky to survive anywhere now. They’re seen as abominations when they’re anything but.”</p>
<p>Geralt smirked to himself. She knew true history, which he appreciated.</p>
<p>“Really?” Jaskier scratched his head curiously. “How did we get it so wrong?”</p>
<p>Before she could answer, Geralt took a few steps down the road. Robin stayed comfortably on Roach, but Jaskier followed him.</p>
<p>“Geralt?” he called. “Geralt? Where are you going?” He turned and looked back at Robin over his shoulder. “Where is he going?”</p>
<p>“Jas, stay here. He’s probably looking for something we don’t want anything to do with.”</p>
<p>But Jaskier persisted, so Robin sighed, dismounting and tying Roach’s reins to the sturdiest tree she could see before hurrying after them.</p>
<p>“He can’t just leave us,” he protested. “What if that devil shows up while we’re alone?”</p>
<p>“Then he’ll hear it and come back.”</p>
<p>“You seem to trust him. That’s good, I suppose.”</p>
<p>“I do, Jas, so if you’ll just listen to me…”</p>
<p>“And that’s another thing,” Jaskier continued as Geralt stalked carefully around a rock. “What are we looking for again? Devil is very nonspecific, and I’d like a little more direction.”</p>
<p>“Something with horns,” she reminded him. “Like Geralt said earlier.”</p>
<p>But Jaskier had finally caught up with Geralt. “Geralt, what are we looking for?”</p>
<p>“Blessed silence,” Geralt rumbled.</p>
<p>Jaskier considered for about half a second, then shrugged. “Yeah, I don’t really go in for that. Have you ever hunted a devil before?”</p>
<p>“Devils don’t exist,” Geralt replied simply.</p>
<p>Jaskier rolled his eyes. “Right. Then what are we doing?”</p>
<p>Geralt kept up his slow pace, moving into the tall grass on either side of the narrow path. “Sometimes there’s monsters, sometimes there’s money. Rarely both. That’s the life. You’d better get used to it if you’re really going to come along.”</p>
<p>Robin tugged on the back of Jaskier’s doublet. “Jas, will you let him work, please? It’s much better if you don’t get in the way. He just comes back to camp and he’s done.”</p>
<p>Before Jaskier could tell her no again, as she assumed he was going to do, something hissed through the air past them.</p>
<p>“Shit!” Geralt cursed, jumping to the side.</p>
<p>Luckily, whatever it was had missed her and Jaskier. She tried to pull her brother back again as he threw his hands in the air excitedly. “Act Two begins!” he crowed. “What was that?”</p>
<p>Geralt knelt and picked up a tiny metal ball, turning it over between his fingers curiously. She noticed that his forehead was cut, and for a moment, she worried, but the wound didn’t seem to be smoking, so it probably wasn’t silver. Maybe iron or steel.</p>
<p>The cut slowly knit back together. Robin’s eyes flicked to Jaskier, wondering if he’d notice, but he was staring past Geralt further into the grass.</p>
<p>“Oh my gosh,” he whispered. “Geralt, it is a devil.”</p>
<p>She followed his gaze and saw the shape he was looking at. It was tall, and it definitely had horns, just like the man in the inn had said.</p>
<p>“Oh,” Jaskier breathed. “I have to see this magical, this mythical…”</p>
<p>There was another hiss, then Jaskier unceremoniously collapsed.</p>
<p>“Shit,” Robin repeated, kneeling beside him to make sure he was all right.</p>
<p>Geralt raised his finger to his lips and stared at her meaningfully. She nodded as he moved in the direction the projectile had come from.</p>
<p>Suddenly, the creature came running out of the brush, its head lowered. “Leave me be!” it cried, then caught Geralt right in the chest with its horns and sent him flying.</p>
<p>He was back up in the next second. “You talk,” he growled, grabbing it by the horns on its next charge and swinging it around him before slamming it into the ground.</p>
<p>“Of course I talk!” it protested, struggling as Geralt pinned its throat with his arm.</p>
<p>“What happened with you?” Geralt sneered. “Your mother fuck a goat?”</p>
<p>Robin stifled a laugh as the creature, clearly offended, replied, “I am Torque, a sylvan, a rare and intelligent creature!”</p>
<p>“You’re a dick,” Geralt retorted. “With balls.”</p>
<p>“Balls I got from humans,” it argued, “who left out food filled with iron meant to poison me!”</p>
<p>It ripped some of Geralt’s hair out and Robin grimaced. She wanted to help, but there wasn’t much she could do. There was nothing dead she could use to her advantage, and Geralt was sitting on the creature, so any spell she cast would probably hit more of him than it.</p>
<p>“Did your mother fuck a snowman?” the creature spit back.</p>
<p>Geralt punched it. “You are intelligent. I’ll give you that,” he admitted. “So I won’t kill you, but you can’t stay here.”</p>
<p>The creature looked up at him in surprise. “Neither can you,” it revealed.</p>
<p>Too late, Robin realized that someone was coming up behind her. She managed a partial scream before she collapsed.</p>
<p>“Do not touch her!” Geralt roared.</p>
<p>Then someone hit him in the face and everything went dark.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter Sixteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geralt, Robin, and Jaskier are held hostage by elves.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Dol Blathanna, 1240</b>
</p>
<p>Robin woke slowly, blinking her eyes rapidly to try and clear her head. She soon realized that her arms were tied above her, and she tugged, but to no avail. The ropes were tight.</p>
<p>“Are you all right, little mage?” Geralt’s deep voice greeted her.</p>
<p>She looked down. He and Jaskier were tied together, their backs touching, on the floor of the cave they had been taken to. Geralt was struggling to get the bonds undone.</p>
<p>“I think so,” she replied, trying to focus.</p>
<p>Maybe she could get them free if she just concentrated hard enough.</p>
<p>“Hello, dear sister,” Jaskier sang from behind Geralt. “This is the part where we escape, no?” he asked the witcher blithely.</p>
<p>“This is the part where they kill us,” Geralt spat, his eyes flicking worriedly to Robin.</p>
<p>There was a mark on her cheek where she’d been hit, and he was livid.</p>
<p>“Who’s they?” Jaskier wondered.</p>
<p>Robin couldn’t fault the question. She’d been wondering the same thing.</p>
<p>Two elves came into the cave at that precise moment. One, a tall, red-haired, very angry woman, kicked Geralt in the face. The other picked up Jaskier’s lute and started to strum it.</p>
<p>“Elves,” Geralt muttered.</p>
<p>“That’s my lute!” Jaskier protested. “Give that back. Quick, Geralt, do your, your… witchering…”</p>
<p>“Shut up!” Geralt yelled, struggling harder as the red-haired elf moved over to Robin.</p>
<p>“Maybe I hurt your woman in front of you, no?” she threatened.</p>
<p>As the elf grabbed her arm roughly, Robin felt her skin heat up. “I wouldn’t if I were you,” she murmured, not at all displeased to be thought of as Geralt’s woman.</p>
<p>“Why is that such a common threat?” Geralt sneered. “Do not touch her!” he repeated his earlier warning.</p>
<p>The elf said something in Elder, which Robin could read, but not speak. “My Elder speech is rough, so I only got part of that,” Jaskier replied sarcastically.</p>
<p>“Humans, shut up!” the elf explained sternly, kicking Geralt in the knee.</p>
<p>Jaskier said something in Elder as the elf spoke to Geralt. “Do you want to die right now?” she asked.</p>
<p>“As opposed to later?” he grumbled.</p>
<p>She kicked Jaskier in the chest. </p>
<p>Robin twisted, hating that her magic only seemed to protect her. What good was it if she couldn’t protect them too?</p>
<p>“Leave off!” Geralt roared. “He’s just a bard!”</p>
<p>She returned to hitting Geralt, punching him in the face repeatedly as the other elf broke his lute in half.</p>
<p>“You hide in your caves!” Jaskier accused. “You beat a bound man, too scared to even look him in the eye!”</p>
<p>Robin was impressed with her little brother’s bravery. He was stupid to be brave, perhaps, but it was admirable, nevertheless.</p>
<p>Blood dripped from Geralt’s mouth as the elf raised his chin to make another snide comment. He smacked her with his forehead and Jaskier laughed.</p>
<p>The elf fell backward and started to wheeze and his laughter died. “Wait, what’s wrong with her?”</p>
<p>“She’s sick,” another voice joined in.</p>
<p>It belonged to a blond elf who had just entered the cave. The sylvan from earlier was trailing behind him.</p>
<p>“And who’s this?” Jaskier added.</p>
<p>The sylvan answered. “He’s Filavandrel. King of the elves.”</p>
<p>The elf waved off the title as he tended to his companion.</p>
<p>“You were stealing for them,” Geralt realized, starting to put the situation together.</p>
<p>The sylvan nodded, then turned to the red-haired elf, who was still sitting on the ground. “Toruviel, no one was supposed to get hurt,” he reminded her.</p>
<p>But she didn’t seem to care.</p>
<p>“You can let my companions go,” Geralt suggested quietly.</p>
<p>Filavandrel shook his head. “Then they’ll know that we’ve been stealing,” he argued. “The humans will attack. Many will die on both sides.”</p>
<p>Blood ran down into the cleft on Geralt’s chin as he spoke. “The lesser evil,” he mused. “No matter what you choose, you will end up bloody and hating yourself. Trust me.”</p>
<p>Filavandrel replied that he couldn’t, and that humans were responsible for all of their pain. Robin shook her head as he blamed them for changing Chaos, the invisible maelstrom that covered the world and allowed magic to function.</p>
<p>“Chaos is the same as it’s always been,” Geralt disagreed. “Humans just adapted better.”</p>
<p>For the first time, Robin realized that he probably had some latent magical ability of his own, if he could feel Chaos in that manner. It was just so buried under his supernatural nature and his mutations that she hadn’t sensed it.</p>
<p>The elf king tried to tell him he was wrong, but Geralt shook his head. “You are choosing to starve,” he told him bluntly. “You’re cutting off your ear to spite your face.”</p>
<p>Filavandrel proceeded to give a grand speech about the injustices humans had wrought upon elves. Robin knew that nothing he said was wrong. The elves had been horribly mistreated and then culled by humans.</p>
<p>But she also knew Geralt was right. Their anger didn’t change the reality of their situation, no more than it had changed hers a decade ago when her father had sent her to Melcedem’s tower. Her suffering didn’t hold a candle to the suffering of an entire race, but the principle was the same.</p>
<p>“If I bring my people down from these mountains,” the elf king finished, “it would mean bowing to human sovereignty. They’ll make slaves of us. Pariahs of half-blood children.”</p>
<p>There was sympathy in Geralt’s next words. “Then go somewhere else,” he implored him. “Rebuild. Get strong again. Show the humans that you are more than what they fear you to be.”</p>
<p>Filavandrel laughed bitterly. “Like you, witcher?”</p>
<p>The words resonated with Robin. She had known that Geralt was different before they had even met, but to hear his conviction spoken aloud was quite an experience.</p>
<p>“I have learned to live with them,” Geralt revealed, his eyes moving to her again. “Some better than others. So that I may live.”</p>
<p>Jaskier was silent. Robin couldn’t see his face, but she guessed that he was listening intently.</p>
<p>Toruviel stood and voiced her opinion. She wanted them dead.</p>
<p>Filavandrel drew a knife, about to follow through, when the sylvan intervened on their behalf.</p>
<p>“The witcher could’ve killed me,” it reminded the elf king. “But he didn’t. He’s different. Like us.”</p>
<p>Filavandrel looked at Torque, considering his words, then stared at Geralt.</p>
<p>“If you must kill me,” the witcher decided, sounding resigned, “I am ready. But the sylvan’s right. Don’t call me human. And spare them,” he begged, glancing between Robin and Jaskier as best he could, considering his position. “You have nothing to fear from them. They are outcasts from humanity as well.”</p>
<p>“Oh, how kind of you to say,” Jaskier finally chimed in, his voice strained.</p>
<p>“Geralt, no,” Robin whispered.</p>
<p>She willed her magic to surge. To save them. To do anything at all.</p>
<p>But it did nothing. She was filled with power, and yet utterly helpless.</p>
<p>Filavandrel made his choice suddenly, cutting Geralt and Jaskier’s bonds quickly with his knife. Geralt was up and moving to her instantly.</p>
<p>He loosened her ropes and set her free, grabbing her elbows and drawing her to him. “Are you all right, little mage?” he asked once more, resting his forehead against hers.</p>
<p>She nodded. “I’m fine, Geralt. I’m sorry I wasn’t of more use.”</p>
<p>He shook his head soothingly. “You did well. I’m proud of you.”</p>
<p>She smiled up at him as he gently kissed her lips.</p>
<p>Jaskier stood. “I’m fine as well, thank you. Do I get a kiss?”</p>
<p>He picked the pieces of his broken lute up off of the floor and sighed. “Well, this is a problem,” he muttered.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry about that,” Filavandrel said sincerely. “Music is one of life’s greatest pleasures.”</p>
<p>He reached into one of the many boxes of supplies stored in the cave and withdrew another lute. It was much nicer than Jaskier’s, Robin could tell.</p>
<p>“Please, take this one as a replacement. And an apology,” Filavandrel offered.</p>
<p>Geralt nodded, grabbing Jaskier’s doublet and pulling him as he gawked at the instrument the elf king had just placed in his hands. “Thank you. We’ll be going now.”</p>
<p>He herded them out of the cave swiftly, not wanting to spend another moment there. At the mouth, he turned back and threw something at the elf king.</p>
<p>It jingled as he caught it, and Robin realized it was everything Geralt had been paid to rid the area of their devil.</p>
<p>As they walked back down to where they had left Roach, Geralt helping Robin since her skirt kept getting stuck in the grass, Jaskier began to reflect on what had just happened.</p>
<p>“Credit where credit is due,” he admitted. “That whole reverse psychology thing you did on them was brilliant, by the way.”</p>
<p>His fear had faded and he was jovial once again. Robin was glad to see that he had a quick recovery time.</p>
<p>“Kill me. I’m ready,” Jaskier imitated Geralt gruffly.</p>
<p>She smiled, but Geralt just raised an eyebrow at him in wonder. “Did you learn nothing at all?” he rasped.</p>
<p>“An interesting conclusion,” Jaskier confessed. “They just let us go, and you gave all of the coin to them.”</p>
<p>“Is the lute not gift enough for you?” Geralt wondered as they reached Roach.</p>
<p>He lifted Robin astride the horse and mounted behind her after untying the reins. Jaskier fell into step beside them as they continued slowly on.</p>
<p>Jaskier chuckled. “She is a bit sexy, isn’t she?”</p>
<p>“It’s a she?” Robin joked, winking at her brother.</p>
<p>Geralt’s arm was tight around her waist, like he was loath to let her go after what had happened.</p>
<p>“With these curves? Of course.”</p>
<p>He winked back at her and started to hum to himself. Within moments, he was singing a verse, clearly experimenting with the lyrics and music.</p>
<p>“No,” he muttered. “No, that’s… shit.”</p>
<p>“I do respect Filavandrel, you know,” he observed, his brow furrowed as he thought. “He survived once. Who knows? Maybe he can do it again.”</p>
<p>He pulled the lute down from across his back and strummed it, his eyes almost rolling back into his head at the dulcet sound it made.</p>
<p>Robin watched and listened, entranced as the words began to pour out of her brother in a beautiful melody.</p>
<p>He was certainly taking liberties. She was content to listen, but Geralt stopped him.</p>
<p>“That’s not how it happened,” he protested. “Where’s your newfound respect?”</p>
<p>Jaskier smiled. “Respect doesn’t make history, Geralt.”</p>
<p>Robin laughed. “Jaskier’s right,” she told him, tipping her head back against his chest. “People like a good story, and the truth isn’t always enough. It’s too bleak. There has to be hope, and a lesson.”</p>
<p>“You taught me that, dear sister.”</p>
<p>Jaskier bowed to her, then continued playing and singing.</p>
<p>Geralt gazed down at her. “I don’t like it.”</p>
<p>“I don’t expect you to. No one much likes the truth.”</p>
<p>He chuckled and sat for another moment, then nodded.</p>
<p>“Hm.”</p>
<p>He bent and kissed her softly. “Let’s go find a place to stay for the night.”</p>
<p>“I’d like that.”</p>
<p>He flicked the reins and they followed Jaskier, listening as his song filled the valley ahead of them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter Seventeen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Robin is disappointed in herself.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Dol Blathanna, 1240</b>
</p>
<p>Jaskier was tweaking the song, leaning against a tree and strumming his lute while Robin gathered provisions for their dinner. There was no game in the area, but Geralt had found some eggs, and they still had some supplies left from their stay in Lyria. She was making a jerky, vegetable, and egg hash to go with the remainder of their bread and cheese.</p>
<p>Geralt had just finished brushing Roach down, so he wandered over to join Robin. He sat next to her, smoothing a few tendrils of loose hair out of her face and studying the mark on her cheek from when she’d been hit earlier.</p>
<p>She smiled at him. “I’m all right, Geralt,” she assured him.</p>
<p>“Hm,” he growled deep in his chest. “I still wish I could have stopped it from happening.”</p>
<p>“It was our fault,” she said, arching an eyebrow at Jaskier. “We shouldn’t have been following you.”</p>
<p>“But what an adventure we got out of it, eh?” Jaskier replied nonchalantly, strumming loudly and grinning.</p>
<p>Geralt shrugged, much to Robin’s surprise. “We weren’t that far from the road,” he observed. “They would have taken us all anyway.”</p>
<p>“See, dear sister? No harm, no foul,” Jaskier brushed her off.</p>
<p>“Still. You need to be more careful in the future, Jaskier. You could really get hurt next time. We were lucky,” she protested sternly.</p>
<p>Geralt traced the edges of her mark with his finger and glanced at the bard. “Your sister is right, Jaskier. Usually, I face much more dangerous things.”</p>
<p>Jaskier sat up and put his lute aside. “Are you telling me that you really never watch?” he asked incredulously. “You’re missing all the excitement.”</p>
<p>“I prefer being alive to being excited,” Robin informed him matter-of-factly.</p>
<p>“Being alive is severely overrated at times,” Jaskier quipped, winking at her.</p>
<p>She shook her head at him affectionately as Geralt laughed.</p>
<p>“Maybe I should write a song about the two of you,” Jaskier mused, steering the conversation in a different direction.</p>
<p>“It wouldn’t be a very interesting song,” Robin pointed out.</p>
<p>“Wouldn’t it?” Jaskier wondered. “It sounds like a fantastic love story. A taciturn old witcher and a lovely young mage meet while fighting zombies, then he cruelly rejects her plea for help. But in the end, he cannot resist the damsel, so he returns to save her from an angry mob. And, despite brief resistance, they both fall for each other. It has a bit of everything, including a healthy dose of jealousy and protectiveness on the part of your man here.”</p>
<p>“We’re not in love, Jaskier,” Robin corrected him. “We’re, well, lovers, I suppose, but I wouldn’t even use that word. It’s not a relationship the way you mean it.”</p>
<p>Geralt was purposely averting his gaze from the bard’s. He licked his lower lip as she explained.</p>
<p>Several days ago, her detachment would have pleased him. Now he found that its impersonal nature bothered him.</p>
<p>“Is she right, Geralt?” Jaskier prodded, trying to sound innocent and utterly failing.</p>
<p>“Of course she is,” he replied shortly.</p>
<p>“Hm. Interesting. So all of that jealousy on display at the inn? What was that, then?”</p>
<p>Robin fixed Jaskier with a look in an attempt to get him to stop talking.</p>
<p>The corner of Geralt’s mouth twitched. He didn’t have a very good explanation for his behavior, truthfully, or later. It had been instinctual, and though he’d always made it a point to protect those who needed protecting, it was different with her.</p>
<p>“She’s my traveling companion, so she’s my responsibility,” Geralt finally clarified. “A fact you should also start to consider. I tend to invite trouble without even trying.”</p>
<p>Jaskier glanced between both of them suspiciously. “You really expect me to buy that? You were ready to throw me through a window for just hugging her, Geralt.”</p>
<p>The bard wasn’t wrong. In that moment, the thought of someone else having something special with Robin had made him feel pushed aside. He knew that he would lose if she ever had better choices than him. For now, she had a mission and he was useful, and she didn’t mind the perk of having him as a bedmate. But when that was over, she’d be able to go anywhere and do anything she wanted, and then he’d be alone again.</p>
<p>He already wasn’t looking forward to it, and the thought of it happening sooner rather than later frankly terrified him.</p>
<p>Still, he should try to keep a lid on the jealousy, at least, especially if it was so easy to notice. He wasn’t going to apologize for being angry when people tried to hurt her, though. She’d already been through enough with her master, and she didn’t deserve more of that kind of treatment.</p>
<p>Jaskier pursed his lips and wisely let it go for the moment. Robin finished cooking and started making plates for everyone.</p>
<p>Geralt took his gratefully and contemplated how he’d gotten himself into this mess. Robin was an exceptional traveling companion, but he certainly hadn’t planned on picking up another. At least she made food and invited him into her bed.</p>
<p>Not that he wanted the bard to do that. He was far too upbeat. And annoying. And he sang all the time, although Geralt supposed he had to be forgiving about that, considering that it was his job.</p>
<p>“This is good,” Jaskier complimented her. “Do you two always eat this well?”</p>
<p>“When we can,” Robin decided. “I don’t want to make any promises.”</p>
<p>“True enough,” Geralt agreed.</p>
<p>There was silence for a few blissful moments as they ate. Geralt helped Robin clean up after and Jaskier went back to his lute.</p>
<p>Geralt might have chastised him, but he wanted some time alone with her, and he wagered he could only get it if the bard was distracted.</p>
<p>“There’s a small pond nearby,” Geralt murmured to her. “Join me?”</p>
<p>“Of course.” She turned to ask if Jaskier would be all right on his own, but he was clearly lost in thought, and she didn’t want to disturb him. “Will he be all right?”</p>
<p>“I’ll hear it if he gets in trouble,” Geralt reassured her.</p>
<p>“All right.”</p>
<p>Geralt wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led the way. She glanced up at him a little shyly.</p>
<p>“What is it?” he teased her affectionately.</p>
<p>“I’m just not sure how to act with Jaskier around,” she admitted. “Not that I don’t want him here. But he’s obviously making more of this than he should, and I don’t want to encourage him and embarrass you.”</p>
<p>Geralt shook his head. “You’re not going to embarrass me, Robin. Just act how you want to act. How you’ve been acting. I… like the way you act,” he admitted. “I like our… familiarity. As long as you’re okay with it. I know our relationship is just friendly.”</p>
<p>She grinned and leaned up to kiss his cheek. “No harm in making it as friendly as possible, then.”</p>
<p>He hummed appreciatively. “None at all.”</p>
<p>They stopped as they reached the water and Robin looked at him skeptically. “Is this a pond or a puddle?”</p>
<p>Geralt laughed. “Probably closer to the second, but it will do.”</p>
<p>They both started to shed their clothes. Once Robin was naked, she glanced at Geralt and bit her lip as his muscles flexed. He smirked as he noticed and deliberately stretched his arms over his head.</p>
<p>“Do you want me, little mage?”</p>
<p>“I thought I told you not to call me that,” she breathed, walking over to him and dragging her finger slowly down the center of his chest.</p>
<p>“It’s a term of endearment,” he whispered. “And you are little.”</p>
<p>He patted the top of her head, which only came up to the center of his chest.</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes at him playfully. “How do we…?”</p>
<p>“I like that you never know,” Geralt continued. He toed off his boots and dropped his pants. “Not on the ground here, unless you want sand up your arse,” he cautioned her. “And the puddle’s not deep enough, so.”</p>
<p>He reached out and grabbed her waist, lifting her up. She wrapped her legs around him tightly, hanging onto his shoulders.</p>
<p>She reached up with one hand and gently touched his hair. “The sylvan ripped some of it out,” she remembered. “Are you all right?”</p>
<p>He nodded. “It’s just a little hair, Robin.”</p>
<p>“I don’t like seeing you hurt.”</p>
<p>He laughed lightly. “I appreciate it. All the more reason for you not to see my hunts, then.”</p>
<p>She nodded, then leaned up to kiss him. He kissed her back eagerly, happily forgetting all of his troubles for the moment as he slipped inside her.</p>
<p>“How do you do that?” he murmured.</p>
<p>“Do what?” she asked, her voice trembling.</p>
<p>“You’re always ready for me,” he rumbled. “The instant I touch you, I can smell it. All I had to do was lift you and you were soaked.”</p>
<p>She blushed deeply. “I… I don’t know… I… I can’t control it,” she stammered.</p>
<p>“I like it,” he assured her. “Calm yourself.”</p>
<p>She arched her back, pushing him deeper as he started to move. He didn’t so much thrust as just swirl his hips slowly. He knew they didn’t have long, and he wanted to enjoy her as much as he could.</p>
<p>He clasped one arm under her delectable bottom, sliding his other hand up her spine until he was squeezing the back of her neck. He swallowed, breathing in her scent before capturing her mouth with his, letting his tongue plumb her depths, following the same rhythm as his hips.</p>
<p>“Don’t be so tense, little mage,” he cooed. “You’re light as a feather. I’m not going to drop you.”</p>
<p>She whimpered, pulling the leather thong out of his hair and freeing it, burying her hands in it as they continued to kiss.</p>
<p>He closed his eyes, losing himself in the kisses. They grew deeper and more insistent, her tongue tangling with his, though she never tried to change his pace.</p>
<p>It struck him more as submission. Giving herself over to him, ceding control of her body to his.</p>
<p>He knew how much that meant for her. She’d never let another have control over her like this, or any other way. The only thing she’d allowed to rule her was her magic, and that was for the sake of safety only.</p>
<p>His breath caught in his throat as her hips rutted against him more insistently, her breasts bouncing against his chest.</p>
<p>“Go on, little mage,” he urged her. “Let me feel it.”</p>
<p>When she came, a soft cry escaped her, and he held her steady as he felt her flutter around him. It was a gentle climax, the kind he felt she deserved.</p>
<p>“More, Geralt,” she begged immediately.</p>
<p>He needed more too. More of her body. More of her submission. More of her attention and care.</p>
<p>He didn’t know why. He just needed more.</p>
<p>He lifted her free of his cock and set her on her feet, then slowly turned her around. He leaned down and grabbed his discarded shirt, using it to bind her wrists together behind her back. Then he took her hair down, the flower he had given her earlier falling unceremoniously to the ground.</p>
<p>He twisted her hair around one fist, placing his other hand at the small of her back between her bound wrists. He pressed down, spreading her legs by pushing at her ankles with his feet.</p>
<p>He ran a hand over her bare bottom, squeezing one plump cheek, lifting it and then letting it go before he lightly smacked it to test her reaction.</p>
<p>She shivered and he actually saw the frisson ripple up her spine. “Oh, Geralt…”</p>
<p>“You like that, little mage?”</p>
<p>“Mmhmm,” she moaned.</p>
<p>He smacked her harder, pleased when she had the same reaction, only stronger.</p>
<p>He bent briefly, lightly kissing and then biting her other cheek. “One day,” he promised, “I’ll put you over my knee and spank you properly.”</p>
<p>She whined as he placed a gentle, open-mouthed kiss between her legs. Then he stood, rubbing himself between her cheeks before pressing right into the spot where his mouth had been only moments before.</p>
<p>She moaned loudly as he grabbed her tied hands, pulling them and her hair tightly to give him enough leverage so he could start pounding into her.</p>
<p>Her tight, hot wetness sheathed him perfectly. It was even more gratifying to know that she couldn’t resist him, no matter where they were. She was stark naked, bent over in the middle of the wilderness, yet she gave no indication of being upset about that.</p>
<p>In this moment, nothing mattered but the two of them, and that was something he’d never experienced before.</p>
<p>He wanted it to last longer, but even he had his limits, and it had been a long day. He thrust twice more, then spilled inside her as she came around him a second time.</p>
<p>She relaxed and her head lolled forward, tugging on her hair. Geralt lifted her up against him so her back was pressed to his chest, cupping her chin in his hand and leaning down to kiss her, his other roaming over her belly and then her breasts teasingly.</p>
<p>“Bath?” he suggested.</p>
<p>She nodded. He lifted her and carried her into the water, sitting in the middle of the pond with her between his legs. She sighed and leaned back against him, seemingly content.</p>
<p>Geralt scooped some of the water up into his hands and let it run over one of her shoulders. She smiled and closed her eyes, making the water rise up around them, then come down just as gently, wetting their hair and skin.</p>
<p>She sighed. “Why can’t I do that when I need to?”</p>
<p>Geralt ran his fingers up and down her arm and kissed her cheek. “Your master never taught you how to cast spells under duress, I’m guessing.”</p>
<p>She shook her head. “No, he didn’t.”</p>
<p>“Then you know why,” he told her gently. “You don’t have much practice using your magic when you’re scared or stressed. The only true adversary you’d faced before leaving his tower was him, and you knew him well. You just need experience, Robin.”</p>
<p>“I want to be able to help you when you need it, Geralt.”</p>
<p>“It’s not your job to help me, little mage,” he admonished her. “And you were astonishingly helpful in the graveyard,” he reminded her.</p>
<p>“Astonishingly,” she clarified. “Meaning you didn’t think I’d be any help at all.”</p>
<p>“Well, no, but I didn’t know you. I’ve personally never seen such a naturally skilled necromancer. And I’ve been around for a while.”</p>
<p>“I need to be able to do more than raise and control the dead, Geralt,” she said ruefully. “There was nothing dead in that cave today. I was useless.”</p>
<p>“You’re already studying, Robin. You’ll improve,” he assured her. “I’ll do everything I can to help you.”</p>
<p>She glanced up at him and nodded. “Thank you, Geralt.”</p>
<p>They didn’t stay in the water long. When they were done, they rose and redressed, though Robin only put her dress on, carrying her leggings and boots back to camp. It was hot and she was tired, so she wanted to be comfortable.</p>
<p>She retrieved the flower from where it lay crushed in the dirt. She wished she could have restored it, but that magic was beyond her. Still, she kept it to press between the pages of a book later.</p>
<p>When they returned, Jaskier was asleep, his lute still resting in his lap. Robin smiled, watching him as Geralt stoked the fire.</p>
<p>He laid down and stretched, then gestured her over with his head. “It will get colder throughout the night. Stay close.”</p>
<p>She moved into his arms, resting her head on his chest. “Humans really are the monsters, aren’t they, Geralt?” she murmured.</p>
<p>“Not all of them, Robin,” he murmured back, putting an arm around her and closing his eyes.</p>
<p>She stared into the fire. She had many important things to think about, but her mind was stuck on Geralt.</p>
<p>He had been jealous. She knew Jaskier was right about that. What she didn’t understand was why.</p>
<p>She decided not to dwell on it. She barely knew him, but she knew for certain that he wasn’t the type to want a relationship. And he definitely wasn’t the type to fall in love.</p>
<p>It hardly mattered, anyway. He cared about the plot. Once they managed to stop it, she was sure they’d part ways.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter Eighteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geralt, Robin, and Jaskier begin their adventures together. First, they get Jaskier a horse.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Outside Guleta, 1240</b>
</p>
<p>“The Countess de Stael?” Robin asked in disbelief as Jaskier rode his new horse in a circle around their camp, breaking in her shoes. “Jaskier, she’s older than our mother.”</p>
<p>“Only by a few years,” he protested. “She taught me everything I know about lovemaking. It’s come quite in handy.”</p>
<p>“Gross, Jas.”</p>
<p>Robin wrinkled her nose as he turned the horse again. “Oh, please. We’re traveling with your witcher lover. As if I haven’t overheard things. He’s teaching you everything he knows about lovemaking too.”</p>
<p>“It’s not lovemaking, Jas.”</p>
<p>No matter what she did, she couldn’t dissuade him from saying Geralt was her lover. But lovemaking was going much too far.</p>
<p>“Well, whatever it is, it’s loud,” he informed her.</p>
<p>“What you did with the stableman’s daughter in Guleta was also loud,” Geralt observed. “What would your countess think about that?”</p>
<p>“She wants me to broaden my horizons,” Jaskier revealed. “So I am even better when I return to her.”</p>
<p>Robin shuddered and changed the subject. “What are you going to name your horse, Jas?”</p>
<p>“What’s your horse’s name again, Geralt? Roach? Why did you name her after an insect?”</p>
<p>“I didn’t,” Geralt said defensively. “I named her after a fish.”</p>
<p>“A fish?” Jaskier mused. “Well, that’s not very majestic. I think I want something heroic. What are some heroic names? Help me brainstorm, you two.”</p>
<p>Robin giggled. The insect comment had given her an idea.</p>
<p>“You should call her Cricket, Jas,” she told him.</p>
<p>“Cricket?”</p>
<p>Jaskier’s brow furrowed as Geralt started to laugh loudly.</p>
<p>“What is so funny?” Jaskier demanded. “Why Cricket?”</p>
<p>Robin’s laughter grew as she realized that Geralt couldn’t contain himself.</p>
<p>Finally, the witcher wiped his eyes and glanced at the bard. “Cricket,” he repeated. “Because you’re always chirping.”</p>
<p>Jaskier wrinkled his nose, looking exactly like his sister had moments earlier. That sent Geralt into another fit of laughter.</p>
<p>For several kind moments, there was nothing but gaiety in their camp, even though Jaskier wasn’t exactly pleased to be the butt of the joke.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter Nineteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jaskier reveals his and Robin’s noble middle names. And calls Geralt a eunuch.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Ban Glean, 1240</b>
</p>
<p>“No one’s allowed into the city after dark,” the guardsman insisted, studying Geralt suspiciously. “Especially not folk like you.”</p>
<p>Before Geralt could speak, Jaskier stepped in. “Surely some are given passage,” he stated simply.</p>
<p>“Anyone with permission from the king or the mayor,” the guard revealed. “Or nobility with a coat of arms.”</p>
<p>Robin glanced at Jaskier, who pulled something out of his bag. “I am Julian Alfred Pankratz. This is my sister Robin Euphemia Pankratz. Our companion is with us for protection. As you can see, he’s quite burly and intimidating.”</p>
<p>Geralt raised an eyebrow as he recited the names and smirked, but said nothing.</p>
<p>The guard squinted at the object Jaskier held in his hand. “From Kerack, I see. You’re a long way from home,” he observed.</p>
<p>“I am a traveling bard, sir. I have business everywhere. And my sister is my ward, so naturally I must keep an eye on her.”</p>
<p>The guard snorted. “Not so sure you’re doing a very good job, if you’re letting him watch after her.”</p>
<p>He nodded at Geralt, whose hair was covered by his cloak because of the heavy rain that was falling. “Who, my man Boor up there?” Jaskier replied blithely. “He’s a eunuch.”</p>
<p>Robin raised her hand to her mouth to hide a snicker as Geralt huffed behind her.</p>
<p>“Whatever you say. Personally, I still wouldn’t let him near my sister, but that’s your business, I suppose.” He nodded his head toward the gate. “Go on through.”</p>
<p>They rode to the nearby inn. Geralt dismounted and pulled Robin down after him, then tied Roach securely. Jaskier fumbled with Cricket’s reins and Geralt moved to help him.</p>
<p>Inside, they sat by the fire and ordered drinks and food. “A eunuch?” Geralt repeated witheringly, glaring at Jaskier.</p>
<p>Jaskier shrugged. “Just a bit of fun. What did you want me to say instead? That you robbed my sister of her virginity?”</p>
<p>Robin blushed and Jaskier raised an eyebrow as he smirked. “I knew I was right about that,” he murmured triumphantly.</p>
<p>“It’s not robbery if she gives it freely, Jaskier,” Geralt growled.</p>
<p>“You almost said no,” Robin remembered, looking slyly at her brother.</p>
<p>Surely he’d use these details for a song. He raised an eyebrow at her, then winked in thanks.</p>
<p>Geralt glanced at her and she shrugged. “You brought it up.”</p>
<p>“What was the problem, Geralt? She not your usual type?” Jaskier wondered.</p>
<p>Geralt shook his head. “I thought she was a silly girl who wanted a fairy tale romance with a knight,” he admitted. “Witchers aren’t knights.”</p>
<p>Jaskier laughed loudly. “You thought Robin was silly? Oh, that’s lovely to hear. She’s definitely not. I bet she gave you hell for that.”</p>
<p>“She did,” Geralt confirmed. “It was a poor assumption on my part.” He glanced at her, knowing that she’d wanted to talk about this at some point. “I just assumed that, because her life has been difficult, she was looking for a happy ending.”</p>
<p>“Well, everyone wants one of those,” Jaskier confirmed. “But I think you’ll find that Robin’s idea of a happy ending is quite different from everyone else’s.”</p>
<p>“So I’ve already noticed,” Geralt agreed.</p>
<p>Robin smiled to herself and took a sip of her hot cider.</p>
<p>After a moment of silence, Geralt spoke again. “Robin Euphemia and Julian Alfred?” he teased, looking pointedly at them both.</p>
<p>“Family names,” Robin explained shortly. “I hate both of mine,” she admitted, taking another drink.</p>
<p>Jaskier shrugged. “Why do you think I go by Jaskier?”</p>
<p>Geralt eyed Robin seriously. “It’s a name that suits you, little mage,” he told her. “Grand and unique.”</p>
<p>She blushed again. “Thank you, Geralt.”</p>
<p>Jaskier rolled his eyes affectionately. “Thank goodness I asked for two separate rooms.”</p>
<p>Geralt laughed deeply. “You did that because you’re planning to pick someone up for yourself.”</p>
<p>“That I am.” Jaskier stood. “I’ll see you in the morning.”</p>
<p>Geralt and Robin nodded and he slid over to sit next to her. “Shall we finish our meal in our room?” he suggested.</p>
<p>“Please,” she breathed.</p>
<p>He put his arm around her and led her upstairs, content to let his guard down for the night.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter Twenty</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Robin continues to improve her magic.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Pont Vanis, 1240</b>
</p><p>“How do you tell them apart?” Jaskier wondered loudly, staring at Robin’s herbs. “They’re all green and leafy.”</p><p>At that same moment, Geralt whirled and struck at her neck. She parried him as she answered Jaskier. “A very minor amount of studying, Jas. It wasn’t that difficult.”</p><p>Behind her, on a rock, a mortar and pestle moved on its own, crushing eucalyptus into a paste.</p><p>“What happens if you use the wrong one?” Jaskier added, glancing up as one of her magic books floated by in front of his face.</p><p>“Well, if you’re cooking, it will taste different,” she explained. “In a potion, eh. Results would vary.”</p><p>She bent to try to surprise Geralt with a kick to the side. He caught her leg, unbalancing her, but the fire flared and her braid came undone, then bound itself up again.</p><p>The pages of the book flipped and landed on a picture. Jaskier squinted at it and exclaimed, “Oh, that’s interesting! Does this virility charm actually work, because it might be fun to play with…”</p><p>“Don’t, Jas,” Robin cautioned, straightening up and leaning back as Geralt jabbed at her twice in quick succession. “It’s highly volatile. Whoever designed it was not concerned with safety. I’m pretty sure they were just trying to explode someone’s genitals in revenge.”</p><p>“Ew.” Jaskier grimaced. “Can’t have my best asset exploding.”</p><p>Geralt chuckled and Robin leapt behind him and then up onto his back, her arms around his neck.</p><p>He grabbed her legs and turned his head for a kiss. She gave it to him, and everything she had been doing with her magic slowed, then settled.</p><p>“You let me do that,” she accused.</p><p>He shrugged. “It’s no fun winning all the time.”</p><p>She rolled her eyes and jumped down, looking around. “How did I do?”</p><p>“Quite well, I thought,” Jaskier told her.</p><p>“I agree,” Geralt chimed in, carrying her over to the fire and sitting down, then swinging her into his lap.</p><p>She sighed. “But that’s when I’m safe with both of you and know that nothing’s going to hurt me. I still can’t sustain all of this during a fight.”</p><p>“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Jaskier mused, “how did you throw the fireballs in the graveyard, then? That’s not necromancy.”</p><p>“But I’m naturally talented at necromancy,” Robin reminded him. “I was in my element, fueled by it. Everything else was easier. But I can’t rely on always having something dead around to enhance my abilities.”</p><p>Jaskier shuddered. “That does sound rather morbid.”</p><p>“Robin, you’ve mastered all of the beginning books you’ve found,” Geralt soothed her. “And you’ve already started on the advanced ones. You’re doing better than any mage I’ve ever met, even the ones who trained at the best schools. You have to give yourself some leeway.”</p><p>“I can’t, Geralt,” she protested. “I have to be able to help in a fight. Or if we get captured again.”</p><p>“We were taken by the elves six months ago,” Geralt pointed out. “It hasn’t happened since.”</p><p>“I know, but it could,” she murmured.</p><p>“I thought that magic schools could sense talented mages,” Jaskier joined in again. “Why did no one ever come for Robin? Or why don’t they come for her now? Do they have an age limit or something?”</p><p>“Strictly speaking, no,” Geralt replied. “But magic schools are all about reputation. They wouldn’t take someone who presented so strongly in necromancy. I doubt they could have taught Robin to hide it, and that would have reflected poorly on them, regardless of how little she used it or how strong her other abilities were. Mages skilled in the forbidden arts, or those who don’t want to follow the rules set up by the schools, tend to stay isolated in towers, like Robin’s master.”</p><p>Jaskier scratched his chin. “Is that why Father went that route?”</p><p>“Probably,” Robin revealed heavily. “Some families get paid for their sons and daughters who have magical potential, but usually only the poor ones. Nobles, even minor ones, are expected to make donations since mages end up serving them. Father never would have paid, and Melcedem paid him, so.”</p><p>Geralt reached out and brushed a strand of hair back over her ear. “He would likely have paid much more if he knew you were a necromancer.”</p><p>“Well, at least you stuck it to him, then,” Jaskier muttered. “The man doesn’t love anything as much as he loves money.”</p><p>“Oh, Jas,” Robin whispered, moving over to hug her brother.</p><p>He hugged her back, then glanced up at Geralt. “Don’t be left out. Get over here.”</p><p>Geralt rolled his eyes, but moved closer, putting an arm around Robin and hugging her tightly. “You’re doing very well, little mage,” he assured her. “Pushing yourself is fine, but not too hard. Magic is dangerous. You know that. If you expend too much energy, you could seriously hurt yourself.”</p><p>Jaskier’s eyebrows knit together worriedly. “Really?”</p><p>Geralt nodded. “Really. She hasn’t even come close to it, except for in the graveyard when we first met, but I wager she couldn’t control that. The more powerful she becomes, the less likely it is to happen. But if she forces the issue…”</p><p>“She won’t. Will she, sister?” Jaskier ordered sternly.</p><p>“I really wish you two would stop teaming up against me,” Robin grumbled affectionately.</p><p>Geralt laughed and kissed her temple while Jaskier squeezed her.</p><p>Jaskier nudged her. “Can you blame us? You’re our girl.”</p><p>Robin rolled her eyes, but relaxed between the two of them. She knew she had further to go than she’d already come, but they were right. She was making progress, and she should be proud of that.</p><p>“Let’s have dinner,” she suggested. “I promise not to practice for the rest of the night.”</p><p>“Excellent!” Jaskier grabbed his lute. “I should compose a song. Geralt, tell me about another adventure you’ve had.”</p><p>“Aren’t the ones you’ve been on with me enough?” Geralt rumbled.</p><p>“Hardly. You never let me come and see what’s actually happening.”</p><p>Geralt rolled his eyes, but tilted his head and rested his cheek on Robin’s head as he began to tell a story about a particularly vicious basilisk he’d once fought.</p><p>Jaskier listened eagerly. Robin shut her eyes and smiled. If nothing else, she was happy like this, and that counted for a lot.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter Twenty-One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geralt, Robin, and Jaskier spend a lazy night in camp.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Arc Coast, 1240</b>
</p>
<p>“I don’t know how you get it so tangled,” Robin mused, trying to be as gentle as she could as she combed out Geralt’s silver tresses.</p>
<p>Jaskier was sharpening a straight razor on a leather strap, stopping every few strokes to eye it critically. “Well, he fights monsters all the time. Gets all sorts of filth in there. And he never ties it back properly, despite my efforts.”</p>
<p>Geralt grunted as Robin tugged on a particularly difficult tangle. She kissed his scruffy neck affectionately. “Sorry,” she apologized.</p>
<p>“It’s fine,” he growled.</p>
<p>A few minutes later, she had all of the tangles combed out. Then she dipped the comb in rosemary oil and ran it through his hair until it shone.</p>
<p>Geralt frowned slightly as she started to braid it intricately, starting at the crown of his head and stopping at the nape of his neck, leaving it loose after that.</p>
<p>“I am sure I look ridiculous,” he observed.</p>
<p>“Hardly. You’re quite dashing,” Robin assured him.</p>
<p>“I agree,” Jaskier said blithely, walking over with the razor and a small bowl.</p>
<p>He sat in front of Geralt, using a rag to spread the substance in the bowl on his face. “So bristly,” Jaskier complained. “Are you sure that’s hair?”</p>
<p>Geralt grunted and Robin giggled as Jaskier stood and moved behind Geralt with the razor. “Come, dear sister. I’ll teach you how to do this in case I’m ever indisposed.”</p>
<p>She joined him. Jaskier carefully tipped Geralt’s head back. The witcher narrowed his eyes at him, but his expression softened when he looked at Robin.</p>
<p>“I get it, you have a favorite,” Jaskier quipped. “You want to get as close to the skin as possible for a smooth, clean shave.”</p>
<p>“Or I could just not grow hair like you,” Geralt murmured teasingly.</p>
<p>“Do you want me to slice right through your throat, Geralt?” Jaskier wondered conversationally, swiping the razor up smoothly, showing his sister how it was done.</p>
<p>He handed it to her, urging her to try. She was a little slower, and much more nervous, but she managed.</p>
<p>“I’d heal if you slit my throat,” Geralt quickly added between strokes.</p>
<p>“Not if I did it well enough,” Jaskier protested softly, winking at him.</p>
<p>Robin finished shaving Geralt’s face and neck under Jaskier’s careful supervision. When she was done, she rubbed more of the rosemary oil into his now relatively smooth skin.</p>
<p>“You’re very handsome,” she told him, kissing his nose.</p>
<p>He ignored the compliment. “Let me do yours next,” he suggested.</p>
<p>“It will take a good deal longer,” she cautioned him.</p>
<p>Loose, her hair fell to her waist in thick waves.</p>
<p>“I don’t mind.”</p>
<p>He sat behind her and started to carefully undo her braids. She could easily unravel them magically, but he enjoyed pampering her like this, especially on the road.</p>
<p>Once her hair was down, he pushed his nose into the folds and breathed in her scent.</p>
<p>Lavender and mint. The two herbs she used most frequently in the household salves and tinctures she knew. She also used lavender oil in her hair, and chewed mint after meals to keep her mouth fresh. He could taste it when he kissed her. It always tingled against his lips.</p>
<p>He knew that he would never forget her scent. It was comfort. It was solace.</p>
<p>It was home.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter Twenty-Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jaskier questions Geralt’s travel plans and the witcher shares another detail about himself.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Kestrel Mountains, 1240</b>
</p>
<p>“Is this all you do?” Jaskier inquired. “Travel in a circle? It’s been almost a year and we’re practically back where we started.”</p>
<p>Geralt shrugged. “I go where the work is, Jaskier. That’s the job. That’s the life.”</p>
<p>“And it hasn’t been a circle,” Robin pointed out. “We’ve zigged and zagged a bit.”</p>
<p>She watched as Jaskier mended a tear in one of his doublets, his hand steady with the needle and thread.</p>
<p>“You know I could do that for you in a moment, Jas. I’m very proficient in household magic,” she said begrudgingly.</p>
<p>She rather wished her skills inclined in other directions. She was working on it, but it still wasn’t fast enough for her.</p>
<p>“I prefer the hand stitch,” Jaskier admitted. “But thank you, dear sister. Perhaps you could conjure your witcher some new clothes. He’s becoming quite ragged.”</p>
<p>He glanced to where Geralt was standing by Roach, brushing her mane out and buffing her coat for the evening.</p>
<p>“I’ve never asked before,” Jaskier mused, “but how old is Roach? Certainly not as old as you. I’m still mad that you won’t give me an exact number, by the way. Unless they make horses witchers too?”</p>
<p>“No,” Geralt replied simply. “I’ve had many horses over the years. I always name them Roach.”</p>
<p>“No imagination. Got it,” Jaskier answered, tugging the thread through the fabric again.</p>
<p>Geralt rolled his eyes and Robin smiled, turning the three rabbits Geralt had caught them over the fire. She had carrots and turnips diced and roasting in a pan in some embers, and bread and cheese as well.</p>
<p>“That smells good,” Geralt told her, coming to sit beside her.</p>
<p>There was a chill coming off the mountains, and Geralt put his cloak over her shoulders. Even though she had her own, his was larger and warmer, and he knew that she liked that it smelled like him.</p>
<p>She snuggled into it and continued to tend to dinner. Jaskier finished his doublet and rose, setting it aside as he went to feed and water both Roach and Cricket.</p>
<p>Geralt retrieved a sharpening stone and held his hand out for Robin’s dagger. She gave it to him as she turned the spit again.</p>
<p>It was the well-tuned rhythm of three people who had become genuinely comfortable with each other, and would yet grow more comfortable still.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Chapter Twenty-Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geralt gets run out of town.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Ard Carraigh, 1241</b>
</p>
<p>“There’s a bounty for an amphisbaena in the river nearby,” Geralt explained as he swung up onto Roach. “It shouldn’t take long to find and kill. Don’t get into trouble while I’m gone.”</p>
<p>“I never do,” Robin pointed out.</p>
<p>Jaskier, on the other hand, was conveniently looking at the sky and pretending he wasn’t listening.</p>
<p>Geralt raised an eyebrow and grinned at her. “Wasn’t talking about you,” he revealed.</p>
<p>Robin winked at him. “I know.”</p>
<p>She reached up and laid her hand on his thigh, gazing at him. “Be careful, Geralt.”</p>
<p>He squeezed her hand briefly before she withdrew it. “I will, little mage. I always am.”</p>
<p>“Are not,” she protested, shaking her head at him affectionately.</p>
<p>He laughed as he rode off, clicking his tongue at Roach as he went.</p>
<p>Jaskier finally looked down. When his sister turned to him, he gave her puppy dog eyes. She arched an eyebrow at him.</p>
<p>“What? You both always blame me for everything.”</p>
<p>“Only when it’s your fault, Jas. Which is all the time. I love you, but you’re a mess.”</p>
<p>He shrugged. “That’s fair, I suppose.” He glanced around the square. “Are you going off to do more research, then? Try to discover something about this Yennefer’s plot?”</p>
<p>“Yes, Jas, but keep it down, remember? Wherever she is, we don’t need her getting wind of us looking into it.”</p>
<p>“Right, right. I’ll go play in the tavern and listen for any pertinent gossip, as always.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Jas.”</p>
<p>She kissed his cheek and he gave her a brief hug, then they headed off in opposite directions.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>****</p>
</div>After her visit to the library, she went to join Jas in the tavern. She frowned when she saw Geralt dragging Jaskier outside. The witcher practically threw the bard up onto his horse.<p>Then his nostrils flared and he whirled to face her, grabbing her around the waist as she drew close and unceremoniously lifting her onto Roach.</p>
<p>“We have to leave. Now,” he muttered, jumping up behind her.</p>
<p>She nodded her agreement. “What happened?”</p>
<p>“Well,” Jaskier chimed in as they spurred their horses and began riding out of town, “apparently there was no amphisbaena. Just two very large snakes. Which Geralt did kill. But now the townsfolk are saying he’s a charlatan. They also threw in thoughtless murdering machine and scavenger for good measure.”</p>
<p>“We have twelve hours to leave Kaedwen,” Geralt growled. “Which isn’t enough time, by the way.”</p>
<p>Robin would have offered a portal, but she still wasn’t very good at them. And she’d heard many horror stories about travelers arriving through portals without all of their parts intact. She’d gotten very lucky when she’d created the portal she’d used to find Geralt and it hadn’t chopped her head off.</p>
<p>“Might want to go faster,” Jaskier observed. “I think his hourglass was broken.”</p>
<p>“I hate people,” Geralt grumbled, making both Robin and Jaskier giggle.</p>
<p>They made it far enough out of Kaedwen just in time, and kept going as long as they could, until Jaskier was ready to collapse right off of his horse. Only then did they stop and camp for the night.</p>
<p>The bard passed right out. He didn’t even have time to comment on what an excellent song the adventure would make.</p>
<p>Robin wasn’t far behind him. Geralt did the minimal work necessary in order to build a fire and make sure the horses didn’t run away, if they even could have.</p>
<p>Once he was done, he laid down beside her, pulling her back against his chest and draping his cloak over both of them.</p>
<p>She sighed and relaxed into the warmth of his body and he smiled.</p>
<p>His life had always been rather unusual. And it still was.</p>
<p>But at least he wasn’t alone anymore.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Chapter Twenty-Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jaskier lights the camp on fire while Geralt and Robin play elsewhere.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Outside Gwendeith, 1241</b>
</p>
<p>Robin was sprawled out on Geralt’s cloak in another small clearing a short distance from their camp. She was entirely naked with Geralt between her legs, wearing only his trousers. His face was buried in her breasts.</p>
<p>She moaned, her back arching as his large, rough hands kneaded her, his fingers teasingly circling her nipples before squeezing and tugging on them. Her fingers were buried in his hair, which was down and fanned out over his broad shoulders.</p>
<p>He kissed his way along the underside of one of her breasts, pausing for a moment and letting the heavy weight of her flesh rest against him. Then he licked his way up its curve, swirling his tongue around her hard nipple, holding her breast firmly in place as he started to suck.</p>
<p>She moaned again and wrapped her legs tightly around his chest. Her hips rocked against him as he let her nipple go with a wet popping sound and then moved to the other.</p>
<p>As she writhed, he pushed her breasts together, opening his mouth wide and sucking on both of her nipples at the same time.</p>
<p>“Geralt!” she gasped breathlessly, then cried out wordlessly as she came.</p>
<p>He could feel her fluttering muscles against his chest and growled as he flipped them over, giving each of her nipples one more open-mouthed kiss before yanking her forward so her thick thighs were cushioning his cheeks.</p>
<p>“Put that perfect cunt in my face, little mage,” he ordered.</p>
<p>The first time they’d done this, she’d worried about crushing him or suffocating him, not remembering that he had the strength to move her if he needed to. Now she knew exactly how much he could handle, and she used it to her full advantage.</p>
<p>She sat down on his mouth, bracing one hand on his chest, the other still in his hair. He grabbed her hips and pushed her down more, his tongue lapping at her, then thrusting inside her slowly so he could savor her taste.</p>
<p>He slid his hands up to her breasts again, lifting them and squeezing him, then letting them drop. The soft curve of her belly tensed and quivered, and she started to pant as he tugged on her nipples once more.</p>
<p>He pressed his tongue against her clit as she came again, prolonging her second orgasm, looking up at her, his pupils dark and blown with lust.</p>
<p>He moved faster than most would have thought possible, considering his bulk, pressing her down against his cloak, her tender breasts aching as they met the fabric. He quickly got his trousers open, admiring how the subtle red highlights in her dark brown hair shone in the rays of the setting sun.</p>
<p>He spanked her ass gently, one cheek and then the other, before finding her slippery entrance from behind and sinking deep. He groaned, grabbing her hips again so he had enough leverage to pound into her.</p>
<p>Her hands dug into his cloak, clutching it as he took her roughly. It wasn’t long before she was finishing a third time. He moved her onto her back, bending over her soft, supple body to kiss her as he thrust twice more and then spilled inside her.</p>
<p>He sighed deeply in contentment as he sank down on top of her, nuzzling her neck as she wrapped her arms around him tightly and held him.</p>
<p>Her fingers combed gently through his hair as she pressed her lips to his forehead. They laid there quietly for a few more moments before he pushed himself to his feet, cleaned and dressed them both, and then began to lead her back to camp, an arm around her waist.</p>
<p>As they got closer, they smelled smoke and Geralt frowned. “That’s too much for our fire,” he pointed out worriedly, moving a bit faster.</p>
<p>Robin followed, expecting trouble. But when they ran back into their camp, the sight that greeted them wasn’t troublesome at all. Not the way she’d thought, anyway.</p>
<p>Geralt laughed as Robin rolled her eyes and reached out, easily extinguishing the various fires that had extended beyond the pit. Jaskier stopped beating at the flames with his horse blanket and looked at them both sheepishly.</p>
<p>“I tried to cook,” he explained.</p>
<p>“Not the way I showed you,” Robin protested. “Or this wouldn’t have happened.”</p>
<p>“I swear I followed your instructions exactly.”</p>
<p>Geralt was still laughing as he set about putting the camp back in order. Robin approached Jaskier, reaching up and ruffling his hair affectionately.</p>
<p>“No more cooking, all right?” she suggested.</p>
<p>Jaskier nodded. “All right,” he agreed.</p>
<p>“I’ll take care of supper,” she offered. “You do… something else.”</p>
<p>“Gladly,” he chuckled, going to help Geralt.</p>
<p>The witcher dropped a kiss on her forehead as he walked past the fire. “Can’t leave him alone for a second, can we?”</p>
<p>She giggled. “Apparently not.”</p>
<p>Jaskier huffed affectionately. He knew that the teasing was just that, a joke, but he also knew that it was even more amusing when he pretended to be offended.</p>
<p>It just came with being part of their strange little family.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Chapter Twenty-Five</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Robin practices her telepathic magic with Geralt and Jaskier.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Belhaven, 1241</b>
</p>
<p>Geralt took a long pull from his flagon, staring at Robin where she sat alone in the opposite corner. She was close enough to hear them speak if necessary, but far enough apart for the test to work, she thought.</p>
<p>“I understand how this might work for me,” Jaskier said, “but what about you? I thought witchers were resistant to magic?”</p>
<p>“They are,” Geralt confirmed. “But I can let her in if I choose.”</p>
<p>“How does that work?” Jaskier wondered. “I mean, you know it’s her right now, obviously. She’s staring at you. But what if you’re somewhere with multiple mages? How would you know which spell was hers?”</p>
<p>“I can feel each spell push against my resistance,” Geralt replied slowly. “It’s an imperfect explanation, but it will do. Depending on the circumstances, I can tell what kind of spells they are.”</p>
<p>He paused, knowing that Jaskier would read far too much into what he was about to say next.</p>
<p>“And her spells smell like her. Lavender and mint. Fainter, less genuine, but the scent is there.”</p>
<p>Jaskier raised an eyebrow. “Really…” he trailed off, glancing at his sister and smiling a little.</p>
<p>
  <i>What are you laughing about?</i>
</p>
<p>Her voice rang in his head clear as a bell, startling him so much that he almost fell off his chair. Geralt chuckled, then quickly frowned as Jaskier replied, “I’m laughing because Geralt’s obviously in love with you and just won’t say it.”</p>
<p>Geralt relaxed as Robin shook her head at her brother. Then she slyly glanced at Geralt.</p>
<p>
  <i>Remember that thing we did the last time we were in a tavern?</i>
</p>
<p>He grinned instantly. “When you pretended you were a bar wench?” he teased. “Of course.”</p>
<p>“What?” Jaskier asked, looking at both of them suspiciously.</p>
<p>“Nothing,” Geralt murmured, still smiling.</p>
<p>
  <i>I think we should do it again.</i>
</p>
<p>He nodded at her, raising his eyebrows salaciously over his mug.</p>
<p>
  <i>Have fun on your own tonight, Jas.</i>
</p>
<p>Jaskier finished his own mug and looked around. “Excellent. I have my eye on a pretty little thing over there…”</p>
<p>He was gone in a flash, leaving Geralt and Robin alone.</p>
<p>Geralt smiled at her. “You’re getting better,” he observed, tapping his temple.</p>
<p>She nodded. <i>I am.</i></p>
<p>“It’s good to see you acknowledge it for once.”</p>
<p>She shook her head at him and stood.</p>
<p>
  <i>Go to our room and get ready. I’ll be up with your order momentarily.</i>
</p>
<p>She winked and Geralt laughed, standing and striding upstairs.</p>
<p>She waited until she thought he was in the room.</p>
<p>
  <i>I don’t know if you can hear me anymore, but if you can, I think you should be accidentally naked when I walk in this time.</i>
</p>
<p>A thump on the ceiling from over her head told her that he could indeed hear her.</p>
<p>Satisfied with her practice, she headed slowly for the stairs, planning to have a very enjoyable evening with her witcher lover.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Chapter Twenty-Six</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A monster hunt brings the trio back to where Robin began this journey, and Jaskier is bitter about the prospect of seeing home.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The song Jaskier sings in this chapter is an adaptation of “Girl in the Tower” by Mark Seibert from the video game <i>King’s Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow</i>.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Outside Brugge, 1241</b>
</p>
<p>Robin leaned against Jaskier, hugging him comfortingly. He was staring at the forest that stretched out in front of them.</p>
<p>“Home is just on the other side,” he reminded her bitterly.</p>
<p>“I know, Jas.”</p>
<p>“What do you think they would do if we stopped by?” he wondered, his voice more angry than sarcastic for once. “Welcome us with open arms? Me with my elven lute and you with your mutant man?”</p>
<p>“It’s best not to dwell on it, Jas,” she advised him. “They don’t appreciate what either of us are or do. But that didn’t stop us. We’re free, living our lives. Take solace in that.”</p>
<p>Jaskier sighed and scuffed the dirt with his boot. “I don’t know how you’re so calm about it. Father sold you, Robin. Sold you. And then told everyone you were dead, remember? How can you forgive that?”</p>
<p>“I can’t, Jas,” she replied patiently.</p>
<p>“So what? You’re just going to forget it?” he snapped.</p>
<p>“Hardly, Jas,” she assured him, not raising her voice.</p>
<p>Geralt sat down across from them, having finished with the horses. He didn’t say anything, just watched Robin intently.</p>
<p>“Why aren’t you more upset right now?” Jaskier asked in frustration. “Don’t you want to march in there and show them how far you’ve come?”</p>
<p>Robin hung her head. “Of course part of me wants that, Jas,” she admitted. “But what good would it do? They don’t care, and you’re never going to make them. Nothing that either of us has accomplished will ever impress them. I could have saved the world already and they’d sneer at me.”</p>
<p>She sighed. “The best thing for you to do is focus on the people who care about you. The people who will support you. I know it’s hard, Jaskier, and I know that for you it hasn’t been as long since they betrayed you, but if you want to be happy, you have to move on.”</p>
<p>“Your sister’s right,” Geralt chimed in. “You can’t control how anyone else reacts, Jaskier. You can only control yourself, and search for people who are willing to accept you the way you are.”</p>
<p>“Since when are you the reasonable one, Geralt?” Jaskier muttered.</p>
<p>The witcher shrugged, staring seriously into the fire. “I have a lot of experience in this area,” he reminded the bard.</p>
<p>“I still don’t understand,” Jaskier persisted. “Father stuck you in a tower for a decade. In a fairy tale, that would make you a princess, but you really became more of a cautionary tale, at least for me. Don’t disappoint your family, or else they’re going to give you away.”</p>
<p>“I escaped the tower, Jaskier. I found Geralt. I found you. Yes, I’m traipsing about the world hoping to save it from a dangerous magical plot, but there are worse goals to have. I know it seems odd, but I’m happy, at least for now. So the way I see it, there’s no reason to dwell on what didn’t work out. Just look forward instead.”</p>
<p>Jaskier stood and walked to the edge of their camp. “I wish I knew how,” he admitted before going off to be by himself.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>****</p>
</div>Geralt had convinced Robin to resist the urge to go after him. Eventually, he came back on his own.<p>He sat down across from them and smiled. “Sorry I was so grumpy earlier,” he apologized.</p>
<p>“You have nothing to be sorry for, Jaskier,” she assured him.</p>
<p>“I wrote you a song,” he revealed. “Do you want to hear it?”</p>
<p>“Of course.”</p>
<p>Jaskier nodded and started to play. The melody was slow and a little sad, and when he started to sing, his voice was haunting.</p>
<p>
  <i>You seem so far away</i>
  <br/>
  <i>And I just need to hear your voice</i>
  <br/>
  <i>I just need to hear you say</i>
  <br/>
  <i>If you would have me go or stay</i>
</p>
<p>He stopped singing, still strumming. “I don’t know if it’s me or Geralt talking,” he admitted. “I haven’t decided.”</p>
<p>Then he started back in on what was obviously his chorus. Geralt tilted his head to the side, listening more carefully.</p>
<p>
  <i>Girl in the tower</i>
  <br/>
  <i>I’m reaching out</i>
  <br/>
  <i>Please tell me what to do</i>
  <br/>
  <i>Girl in the tower</i>
  <br/>
  <i>I’m calling out</i>
  <br/>
  <i>My heart cries out for you</i>
</p>
<p>Robin understood what he meant. The lyrics could easily be interpreted as a brother wanting his lost sister back, or a lover pining after someone.</p>
<p>She also objected to the use of the word girl. But when she opened her mouth to protest, Jaskier gazed at her pointedly and said, “Woman ruins the syllables. Suck it up.”</p>
<p>She stuck her tongue out at him playfully, rolling her eyes and nodding.</p>
<p>
  <i>I saw your face</i>
  <br/>
  <i>And I felt our souls embrace</i>
  <br/>
  <i>If it’s not meant to be this way</i>
  <br/>
  <i>Why do you haunt me night and day?</i>
</p>
<p>Geralt glanced at Robin, taking a deep breath and catching her scent. He knew fate worked differently than Jaskier said in his song. And even then, he thought it was a myth. Something convenient people invented to tie unconnected events together.</p>
<p>But sometimes it was hard to believe she hadn’t been meant to find him, considering how they’d met.</p>
<p>
  <i>Girl in the tower</i>
  <br/>
  <i>I’m reaching out</i>
  <br/>
  <i>Please tell me what to do</i>
  <br/>
  <i>Girl in the tower</i>
  <br/>
  <i>I’m calling out</i>
  <br/>
  <i>My heart cries out for you</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Girl in the tower</i>
  <br/>
  <i>I’m calling out</i>
</p>
<p>Jaskier ended on a long, drawn out note. He smiled at them both, then went to his bedroll, carefully setting his lute aside for the evening.</p>
<p>Robin watched him until he fell asleep. Geralt kept his arm around her the whole time.</p>
<p>“He’ll be all right. It will just take time.”</p>
<p>She nodded. “I know.”</p>
<p>“It was a lovely song, but don’t tell him I said that,” Geralt teased.</p>
<p>Robin laughed. “It wouldn’t kill you to tell him he’s good at it every once in a while,” she chastised him.</p>
<p>“Can’t go inflating his ego more than it already is,” Geralt rumbled, kissing her cheek. “You need some sleep too.”</p>
<p>She nodded and stood with him, turning and putting her arms around him. “Geralt?”</p>
<p>“Hm?”</p>
<p>“Can we… pass by Kerack and Bremervoord? Even if there are rumors of work there? I know it’s a lot to ask, but…”</p>
<p>Geralt shook his head gently. “It’s not a lot to ask, little mage. Of course we can.”</p>
<p>“I might be ready to go back there one day, but… not now.”</p>
<p>“I understand,” he soothed her. “You don’t have to explain yourself, Robin. I’m happy to take us in a different direction.”</p>
<p>“Thank you.”</p>
<p>She rested her head against his chest and he kissed the top of her head, holding her close.</p>
<p>“You’re safe with me, little mage. Always. I promise.”</p>
<p>“I know, Geralt.”</p>
<p>He picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroll they shared. She curled against him gratefully as he laid down and was asleep in no time.</p>
<p>Jaskier turned over and looked at Geralt. “She has you wrapped around her little finger and she doesn’t even know it.”</p>
<p>Geralt shook his head. “She does not. There…”</p>
<p>“Spare me your explanation of why bypassing Kerack and Bremervoord is a good idea. I don’t mind at all. And it’s just an excuse anyway. You’re doing it because she asked.”</p>
<p>He turned back over and started to hum. “It’s definitely you speaking in the song,” he decided. “If she was really trapped in that tower again, or any other, you’d scale it barehanded to get her back.”</p>
<p>Geralt didn’t bother to deny it. It was true. Just not for the reasons the bard thought.</p>
<p>He had loved perhaps once, very fleetingly. He wasn’t even sure that’s what it had been. But he did know it was a foolish emotion, and one not meant for him.</p>
<p>Companionship was well and good. But love? Love was messy, complicated, and he wanted nothing to do with it.</p>
<p>He closed his eyes, his heart beating slowly, and bent his nose to Robin’s hair, smelling it as he fell asleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Chapter Twenty-Seven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jaskier learns Geralt’s secret and demands a lecture about werewolves.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Marnadal Stairs, 1241</b>
</p>
<p>Jaskier yelped and leapt out of the way as Geralt struck again. Robin was leaning against a nearby rock with her arms folded over her chest, shaking her head.</p>
<p>“Jas, you have to learn to defend yourself, not just duck out of the way. If you don’t, the fight will never end,” she pointed out.</p>
<p>“Well, if I can avoid the inevitable long enough, hopefully you and Geralt will be back by then to rescue me,” he retorted. “He’s big and scary. He hits hard.”</p>
<p>“I’m pulling my punches, Jaskier,” Geralt growled.</p>
<p>“Not bloody enough,” Jaskier protested, rubbing his arm. “And besides,” he continued, “how is this going to help in other situations? The guards in the last city we were in used attack dogs, for instance.”</p>
<p>Geralt stopped and grinned, glancing at Robin. “Well, I can help with that,” he decided. “Should I?” he asked Robin.</p>
<p>“You’re going to show him?” she questioned. “You’ve never even shown me.”</p>
<p>“Well, you’ll get to see it too,” he reminded her.</p>
<p>“See what?” Jaskier wondered.</p>
<p>“Just one thing before I do,” Geralt requested, letting his hair loose and starting to strip. “You can’t put this in a song, Jaskier.”</p>
<p>“You know I can’t make that promise, Geralt,” the bard replied amiably.</p>
<p>“You’ll understand why when you see, Jas,” Robin explained.</p>
<p>Geralt finished undressing and Jaskier’s eyes went wide as he stood in front of both of them naked.</p>
<p>“Impressive, Geralt,” he quipped. “But I think you want to keep that tucked away during a fight.”</p>
<p>Geralt smiled as Robin snorted. Then he shivered and transformed.</p>
<p>Jaskier gasped silently as Robin tilted her head and observed.</p>
<p>The change was oddly fast and slow at the same time. She’d been able to see Geralt’s nose and chin elongate into a muzzle, his already sharp teeth lengthen into canines, and his hands change into paws.</p>
<p>But after that, nothing. There was simply a beautiful, slightly larger than normal white wolf standing where Geralt had been a moment ago.</p>
<p>“Can… can all witchers do that?” Jaskier sputtered as Robin bent down and looked into the wolf’s dark gold eyes.</p>
<p>She reached out to pet him behind the ears and he howled softly. “No,” she answered. “Even his fellow witchers don’t know Geralt is a werewolf. And you know how people would treat him, Jas. Even worse than they do now.”</p>
<p>“I won’t tell,” he promised.</p>
<p>Robin smiled at him, pleased that he was so willing to keep this a secret, even though it would have made for a very popular song.</p>
<p>Geralt nuzzled her, then turned and playfully nipped at Jaskier’s heels.</p>
<p>“Run away! Run away!” Jaskier squeaked, running to a nearby rock and climbing it.</p>
<p>Geralt leapt up onto the rock easily and licked Jaskier’s face, letting out a sound that resembled a barking laugh. Jaskier made a face as Geralt leapt back down to join Robin at the fire.</p>
<p>He changed back and pulled his trousers on before reclining next to her. Jaskier crept over to join them, looking Geralt up and down curiously.</p>
<p>“So, are you going to explain?” Jaskier prompted.</p>
<p>Geralt shrugged. “I’m a werewolf.”</p>
<p>“That wasn’t a werewolf,” Jaskier protested. “Werewolves turn into half-beasts. Um, don’t they?” he corrected himself, realizing who he was talking to.</p>
<p>“Every other one besides me, if the myths are true,” Geralt confirmed.</p>
<p>“I don’t like knowing you,” Jaskier decided. “Since we’ve met, I’ve found out that far too many things I thought were true are actually lies. So you better just start from scratch and tell me about werewolves.”</p>
<p>“Why don’t we see what your sister knows?” Geralt nudged her. “She’s read so many books.”</p>
<p>She nudged him back and then relented. “Well, let’s see. Werewolves are either born like that or changed by a curse. A werewolf bite won’t change someone into a werewolf, despite that fact supposedly being common knowledge.”</p>
<p>Geralt nodded. “I was born a werewolf. No idea where it came from, since I know precious little about my family. Could have been a long way back, anyway. For a child to be born a werewolf, only one parent has to be a werewolf, and the connection can be distant.”</p>
<p>“We’ve been traveling together for over a year,” Jaskier observed. “Why have I never seen you change at the full moon?”</p>
<p>“Born werewolves don’t have to change at the full moon,” Robin explained. “They can transform at any time, they retain full control over themselves, and they remember what happens when they’re transformed. Cursed werewolves only change at the full moon, and it’s a compulsion. They have to. They don’t remember what they’ve done when they come out of it, either.”</p>
<p>“Remarkable retention,” Geralt praised her.</p>
<p>“You told me some of this, remember?” she chastised him.</p>
<p>“Only a little.”</p>
<p>“So why do you turn into a white wolf?” Jaskier wondered.</p>
<p>“I have no idea,” Geralt admitted.</p>
<p>“Isn’t there a cure?” Jaskier continued. “I thought I heard about one once.”</p>
<p>“A cursed werewolf might be able to be cured using wolfsbane, but it’s not certain. And born werewolves can’t be cured.”</p>
<p>“But you have scars,” Jaskier tried again.</p>
<p>“As I’ve told your sister before, a deep enough wound can scar a werewolf. Though we do have better health regeneration than most, and mine’s even better than that, since I’m also a witcher.”</p>
<p>“What other, uh, enhancements do you have?” Jaskier asked, looking pointedly at Geralt’s trousers.</p>
<p>The witcher chuckled. “Being a werewolf or a witcher has no effect on that, Jaskier. Just to be clear.”</p>
<p>Robin smirked as Geralt began to recite. “I am gifted with improved agility and strength, as well as an excellent sense of smell. All of which, again, are more improved by being a witcher. I am also resistant to most standard weapons, though silver is a problem, obviously.”</p>
<p>“You wear a silver amulet and carry a silver sword!” Jaskier retorted.</p>
<p>“Very carefully,” Geralt confirmed.</p>
<p>“What does the silver actually do, anyway?” Jaskier mused. “I was never clear on that.”</p>
<p>“For werewolves, it keeps our health from regenerating, which slows down the healing of wounds and such, meaning a mortal enough one could be the end of it,” Geralt revealed.</p>
<p>“And your amulet,” Jaskier clarified. “Why doesn’t it go all wonky while you wear it? Isn’t it supposed to sense things like that?”</p>
<p>“It doesn’t sense him,” Robin offered. “He thinks because he’s either a full man or a full wolf.”</p>
<p>Geralt nodded. “Born werewolves don’t activate a witcher’s medallion unless they’re in their transformed state. I seem to take that one step further too.”</p>
<p>“Lucky you.” Jaskier looked around. “So where’s your wolf pack?”</p>
<p>“Werewolves don’t travel in packs, Jas,” Robin chimed in. “They’re loners.”</p>
<p>“Hm.” Jaskier poked at the fire. “Okay, but why did you take all of your clothes off before you changed?”</p>
<p>“Because wolves don’t wear clothes, Jaskier. I’d get stuck in them, or rip them, if I tried to change with everything on.”</p>
<p>“Fair point,” the bard hummed.</p>
<p>“I think you look better naked anyway,” Robin teased, leaning over to kiss him.</p>
<p>“Do I?” Geralt drawled.</p>
<p>She nodded, tracing a finger over his chest.</p>
<p>“And I should let you two be…” Jaskier coughed, winking at them lasciviously.</p>
<p>Geralt chuckled. “I’ll take her somewhere else, as always, Jaskier.”</p>
<p>“I appreciate it. There’s only so much behind the curtain action I can take in that department.”</p>
<p>Geralt stood and slung Robin over his shoulder. “We’ll be back,” he growled before heading around the curve of the mountainside to find a place where they could be alone.</p>
<p>Jaskier shook his head affectionately.</p>
<p>The whole werewolf thing was certainly a topic to mull over, but quite frankly, he was more interested in the witcher’s obvious yet undeclared feelings for his sister.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Chapter Twenty-Eight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jaskier gets kicked out of a tavern for singing a very dirty song.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Beauclair, 1241</b>
</p>
<p>“Run away! Run away!” Jaskier shouted, yelping as all of the tavern’s patrons pelted him with bread on his way out.</p>
<p>Robin laughed raucously as Geralt threw her over his shoulder and strode out after him. He had her on Roach and was mounting himself by the time Jaskier managed to fumble his way onto Cricket.</p>
<p>As they rode out of the city, Jaskier looking nervously behind them, Robin shook her head at him. “What did you expect, Jas?”</p>
<p>“I was trying something different,” he protested. “I was going for maximum bawdy humor.”</p>
<p>Geralt snorted. “You definitely got it. What was that part about the giant cock?”</p>
<p>“It was a pun. It sounded sexual, but I was actually talking about a chicken,” Jaskier explained tersely.</p>
<p>“I think that was lost on them,” Geralt pointed out.</p>
<p>“It seemed to be, yes,” Jaskier agreed.</p>
<p>“Your approach might need some… refinement, Jas,” Robin suggested.</p>
<p>“I think it’s perfect,” Geralt chuckled. “Perfectly hilarious, that is.”</p>
<p>“You won’t be laughing when you have to defend my honor from a tavern full of hooligans with no taste,” Jaskier sniffed haughtily, raising his chin in the air.</p>
<p>“And who said I was going to protect you?” Geralt questioned, arching an eyebrow.</p>
<p>“You’ll do it because you like my sister?” Jaskier asked uncertainly.</p>
<p>Robin tipped her head back and looked at Geralt, who finally shrugged. “I suppose,” he sighed, winking at her.</p>
<p>Then he smacked one of her breasts unexpectedly, making her yelp and shiver. He pressed his lips to her ear and whispered, “Naughty little mage. Making me do bad things.”</p>
<p>She giggled. “You’ll just have to punish me later.”</p>
<p>“Oh, I will,” Geralt promised. “I will.”</p>
<p>“I am right here, you know,” Jaskier protested, prompting another round of laughter as they left the city gates and emerged into the night.</p>
<p>“I am well aware,” Geralt informed him, still smiling. “Come. Let’s get a decent distance away and camp for the night. We’ll figure out where we’re going next tomorrow.”</p>
<p>He couldn’t deny that his unexpected companions sometimes made his life slightly more difficult, but they also made it much more interesting.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Chapter Twenty-Nine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geralt and Jaskier disapprove of Robin’s magical experiments.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Outside Spalla, 1242</b>
</p>
<p>“What are you doing, exactly?” Jaskier asked as Robin sat, her skirt spread out around her on the ground.</p>
<p>“I’m going to reach out into the chaos of magic and see what I can see,” she answered vaguely.</p>
<p>“And that will accomplish what?” Jaskier wondered pointedly.</p>
<p>Geralt sighed and sat down beside the bard. “Chaos connects all magic,” he explained. “Skilled enough mages can see others in the maelstrom. She wants to try and see what Yennefer’s up to, discover more about the plot.”</p>
<p>“Well, our information has run dry,” Robin justified her plan.</p>
<p>Geralt shook his head. “It’s risky, Robin. And the information running dry likely means that Yennefer is failing to produce the results she wants.”</p>
<p>“That’s not necessarily what it means,” she argued. “And besides, this is excellent practice for me either way.”</p>
<p>“Why is it risky?” Jaskier chimed in.</p>
<p>“Because someone else could see her quite clearly,” Geralt told him. “When she’s in there, she’s vulnerable. When she’s not in there, they’d be able to get an impression of her at most. But this way, they’ll be able to sense her magic. Sense that she’s a necromancer. Maybe even read her mind.”</p>
<p>“That does sound rather dangerous,” Jaskier sided with Geralt.</p>
<p>She rolled her eyes. “I know you’re both worried about me, but I’ll be fine. I won’t be in there long. I promise.”</p>
<p>“Can you hurt yourself by performing this spell?” Jaskier blurted out bluntly.</p>
<p>“I can hurt myself performing any spell, Jas, if I overdo it,” she responded firmly. “I could have been done by now, if you’d just let me start.”</p>
<p>“I still disapprove,” Geralt admitted. “This is magic you should wait to use until you have a mentor who can teach you how.”</p>
<p>“Well, those are in rather short supply, Geralt,” Robin said tersely. “I need to wait until I find someone I can trust, and considering what I am, that may take a while.”</p>
<p>She shut her eyes, tipped her head back, and slid her arms into the air, holding the pose as she took a deep breath and pushed out into the chaos surrounding her.</p>
<p>Geralt stood by, tense and ready to spring. Of course, there was nothing to lash out at, but that didn’t change the way he felt.</p>
<p>Jaskier waited, biting his lip nervously.</p>
<p>After only a few minutes, Robin’s breathing got heavier, her muscles started to shake, and a trickle of sweat dripped slowly from her forehead and down her cheek.</p>
<p>“Stop, Robin, stop,” Geralt muttered, taking a step forward.</p>
<p>“Can we stop her?” Jaskier murmured.</p>
<p>Geralt shook his head. “Not without potentially leaving her mind stranded in the chaos, no.”</p>
<p>“What do we do if she…?”</p>
<p>Jaskier thankfully didn’t have to complete his thought, because at that moment, Robin’s arms fell and her eyes opened. She took a huge breath and sighed heavily, laying back and stretching her legs out.</p>
<p>Geralt moved to her side and Jaskier retrieved a water skin to give her a drink. “Talk to me, little mage.”</p>
<p>She took the drink Jaskier offered her and then confessed, “It’s a bit overwhelming in there.”</p>
<p>Geralt eyed her sternly. “I’m sure it is. That’s why I told you not to go.”</p>
<p>She made a scoffing noise at him. “Relax. I’m fine. Bossy witcher.” She giggled. “I couldn’t find her, but I couldn’t sense any large spells being cast, so that’s something.”</p>
<p>“You’re resting for the remainder of the night,” Geralt ordered. “Let’s get some food in you too. And you’re not doing this again until someone can teach you how.”</p>
<p>“I do what I want,” she mumbled.</p>
<p>Jaskier laughed. “It’s like she’s drunk,” he observed.</p>
<p>Geralt lifted her gently and carried her closer to the fire, propping her up in his arms and holding her close. Jaskier began serving the dinner she had made before casting her spell, handing Geralt a plate for both of them.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Jaskier,” he grunted.</p>
<p>He balanced the plate in her lap and began tearing chunks off of the rabbit and feeding them to her carefully.</p>
<p>She chewed gratefully, smiling up at him. “You like me,” she accused.</p>
<p>He chuckled in spite of himself. “Don’t test it, little mage,” he warned her, kissing her forehead and then eating a chunk of rabbit himself.</p>
<p>She was ridiculous, really, even at the best of times. But she was right. He liked her. So he was going to continue to look after her, no matter how ridiculous she was being.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Chapter Thirty</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geralt talks to Roach about Robin, but Jaskier overhears.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Outside Guleta, 1242</b>
</p>
<p>For a rare moment, Geralt was alone. He unsaddled Roach and started to brush her coat.</p>
<p>“I miss our talks,” he said after several strokes. “Do you?”</p>
<p>Roach snorted and Geralt nodded. “I know. Things have changed in the past few years, haven’t they? For the better, I think.”</p>
<p>Roach turned her head and eyed him critically. Geralt chuckled. “I know the bard is annoying, but the mage is nice, isn’t she? And don’t complain about the added weight. She’s not that heavy.”</p>
<p>Roach made a huffing sound and Geralt laughed. “I know you like her too. She smells good, doesn’t she? Much better than me.”</p>
<p>Geralt fell into a thoughtful silence. Roach followed suit, but snorted again after a minute. Geralt glanced at her and shook his head. “It’s not like that. You know I’m not like that. She’s my traveling companion, and we happen to enjoy sharing a bed. That’s all.”</p>
<p>Roach whinnied loudly and Geralt shot her a stern look. “So what if I haven’t slept with anyone else since meeting her? Why would I? Most of the women I slept with before were whores. Why would I pay when she’s right here and willing?”</p>
<p>He paused. “Does that make me sound creepy?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Jaskier answered him, emerging from behind a nearby tree. “Yes, it does.”</p>
<p>Geralt stiffened, immediately wondering how much Jaskier had heard. The bard always assumed anything he said about Robin had some hidden meaning.</p>
<p>“Who are you talking to, exactly?” Jaskier wondered, looking around.</p>
<p>Robin was still at the river, he assumed. She liked baths, and they were hard to come by on the road, so she took one whenever she had the chance.</p>
<p>Geralt shrugged. “I talk to my horse,” he admitted.</p>
<p>“That’s sad,” Jaskier observed bluntly, leaning on a tree near them.</p>
<p>“Is it?” Geralt replied, hoping Jaskier would focus on Roach and forget about whatever he’d overheard.</p>
<p>But, of course, he had no such luck.</p>
<p>“So there hasn’t been anyone else since you met my charming sister?” Jaskier questioned him.</p>
<p>“It’s not a question of anyone else, Jaskier,” Geralt responded shortly.</p>
<p>“I heard you. You generally sleep with whores. And I understand. Your life is unusual. Unless someone’s willing to travel with you, you wouldn’t see them that often.” He hesitated. “Has there ever been anyone like Robin before?”</p>
<p>“Someone I’ve traveled with consistently? No. But you’re going to make that into something it’s not, Jaskier. You always do,” Geralt growled.</p>
<p>Jaskier laughed lightly. “You don’t scare me, Geralt,” he confessed.</p>
<p>“That’s too bad,” Geralt rumbled back.</p>
<p>Jaskier shrugged. “Not when it comes to this. I know you have deeper feelings for her, and her for you. She’s not saying anything because she thinks it’s not what you want. You’re not saying anything because you’re too stubborn.”</p>
<p>“Why does it matter so much to you?” Geralt snapped. “You’re wrong, Jaskier. Are you so arrogant that you can’t accept that?”</p>
<p>Jaskier bit his lip and then murmured, “It matters to me because she’s going to live far longer than I am, and I don’t want her to be alone when I’m gone. I want to know that she’s taken care of. And not just taken care of. Happy.”</p>
<p>Geralt was stunned into silence for a moment. Jaskier was young, so young that it rarely occurred to him that the bard was going to age normally while his sister didn’t. No one knew precisely why those with magic lived longer. He didn’t even know why he lived longer, for that matter. But the truth was that Jaskier was right.</p>
<p>No matter how much magic Robin learned, none of it could extend her brother’s lifespan. She would likely live twice as long as he did, maybe even longer, if nothing violent happened to her first.</p>
<p>He sighed heavily and looked at the bard, who was staring steadfastly at his feet. “I would never let anything happen to her, Jaskier,” he promised. “You know that.”</p>
<p>“I do,” Jaskier agreed. “But it’s because you love her. I’d just like to see you admit it before I’m gone.”</p>
<p>Another denial was on Geralt’s lips, but he never said it, because Robin chose that moment to rejoin them. She looked from Geralt to Jaskier curiously.</p>
<p>“You two seem very serious,” she commented. “What’s going on?”</p>
<p>Jaskier shook his head. “Nothing that’s important right now,” he assured her. “We’ll resolve it before it’s too late.”</p>
<p>Her brow furrowed as he hugged her tightly, but she hugged him back without saying anything. “I love you, Robin.”</p>
<p>“I love you too, Jas.”</p>
<p>He let go of her and wandered off on his own, leaving her alone with Geralt. “What was that about?” she inquired.</p>
<p>“I’m not sure,” Geralt told her.</p>
<p>They’d had this conversation before. They knew what their relationship was, even if no one else wanted to admit it.</p>
<p>She moved over to him, brushing some of his hair out of his face and staring up into his eyes. “I know that’s a lie,” she accused him.</p>
<p>His naturally slow heart sped up. What if she suddenly realized everything else he was lying about? She’d leave.</p>
<p>Then she giggled. “But you’ll tell me when you’re ready. If it even matters. You two talk about the most ridiculous things.”</p>
<p>He smiled at her. “Yes. Yes, we do.”</p>
<p>He cupped her cheeks in his hands and bent down to kiss her. She kissed him back, humming and grabbing his elbows, squeezing them tightly as he deepened the kiss.</p>
<p>When he finally pulled away, she was blushing. He kissed her forehead as she bit her lip.</p>
<p>“I should, um. I should get dinner ready,” she decided.</p>
<p>He nodded. “I’ll be along to help in a moment.”</p>
<p>She moved to the fire, glancing back at him every few seconds. He smiled to himself as he finished up with Roach.</p>
<p>The horse tossed her head and snorted. He rubbed her nose and shook his own head at her.</p>
<p>“I thought I told you to hush,” he scolded her. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”</p>
<p>She whinnied again and he chuckled. “I think I’m lucky that you can’t talk,” he confessed. “You’d both gang up on me.”</p>
<p>He’d just have to be content with the fact that he and Robin knew the truth, even though no one else did.</p>
<p>He wasn’t in love. He enjoyed having her around, yes, and he was lying to keep it that way. But it wasn’t a horrible lie. Not one that was going to hurt anyone. Except for her, if she found out. And when she realized that Yennefer’s plot was going to come to nothing, it wouldn’t matter anymore.</p>
<p>Things were perfect the way they were. He just wanted them to stay that way. That was all.</p>
<p>Love wasn’t for him. As long as she understood that and didn’t let her brother’s ideas get to her, everything would be just fine.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Chapter Thirty-One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geralt has no manners at the dinner table, so he and Robin go have sex in the dark.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Roggeven, 1242</b>
</p>
<p>Geralt finished his last bite, squinting as he saw a large rat in the corner of the inn. Before it could scurry away, he threw his fork at it, spearing it in the neck and killing it instantly.</p>
<p>Robin and Jaskier both raised their eyebrows disapprovingly.</p>
<p>“Can you behave when you’re in public?” Jaskier scolded him.</p>
<p>Geralt shrugged. “That’s rarely something I concern myself with,” he replied.</p>
<p>“I realize that this whole surly thing works for you,” Jaskier said as he stood, waving a hand in Geralt’s face, “but when people are grossed out by who I associate with, it’s hard for me to make money.”</p>
<p>“We do well enough between the three of us,” Geralt defended himself.</p>
<p>“Fine, but it also makes it difficult for me to find someone to spend the evening with,” Jaskier hissed.</p>
<p>“And we come to the point,” Geralt laughed, leaning back in his chair and staring up at the bard.</p>
<p>“Whatever the reason, it is rather tasteless,” Robin observed, coming over to sit in his lap.</p>
<p>“Then shall we go to our room and be tasteless in private?” Geralt teased, pulling her closer to him and tipping his head back for a kiss.</p>
<p>She gave it to him as Jaskier pulled out his lute and began to play for the guests. “I would like that very much,” she agreed.</p>
<p>She shrieked and giggled as Geralt stood and slung her over his shoulder, then mounted the stairs to their room. Before he opened the door, he spanked her ass hard, pleased when he heard her moan loudly as her thighs clenched against his chest.</p>
<p>He set her on her feet as he made it inside, shutting the door behind him. She was already moving toward the bed, her dark hair hanging down her back.</p>
<p>He growled and reached out, grabbing her belt and hair and turning her to him, tugging at the nape of her neck to make her tip her head back this time.</p>
<p>She moaned again, but the sound was muffled as he began devouring her mouth.</p>
<p>They only stayed at inns in towns where he thought it wouldn’t cause a problem, and when they had the money. It was nice to have some real privacy with her like this, instead of the minimal privacy they had to create through quick liaisons against trees, during bathing, or in whatever meadow they could find near camp.</p>
<p>He wasn’t brazen enough to take her while her brother was sharing their camp. Even he had limits, no matter how much he wanted her sometimes.</p>
<p>She clung to him, her breasts straining against the neckline of her gown. Several men had been eyeing her cleavage downstairs, though they’d quickly given up when they’d noticed the intimidating witcher glaring at them.</p>
<p>She appreciated that his presence kept other men away from her. And she greatly enjoyed his jealousy, though it was a topic that they’d never discussed since it had come up when they’d first encountered Jaskier in Posada.</p>
<p>It was enough that she was his. For now, anyway. They would never be more than this, but she had made her peace with that. It far exceeded what many people got, she reasoned.</p>
<p>Geralt lifted her onto the bed, then blew out all the candles in the room so it was just barely lit by their low fire.</p>
<p>“I can hardly see, Geralt,” Robin murmured.</p>
<p>“But I can see you perfectly,” he countered, staring hungrily at her curves beneath her clothes, his golden eyes glowing in the darkness.</p>
<p>She reached out, finding his thighs and sliding her hands towards his crotch. He groaned as her fingers found the outline of his cock in his pants, then searched for his buttons so she could start popping them open.</p>
<p>He saw her lower lip jut out in a pout as she purred, “But I wanted to go down on you tonight.”</p>
<p>He very much liked that idea. “You still can,” he promised her. “I’ll help you.”</p>
<p>He stripped off his shirt and removed the leather thong from his hair as she finished unbuttoning him. He stepped back to remove his boots and trousers. He knew she liked him entirely naked when she did this.</p>
<p>But first, he wanted her entirely naked too. He bent to remove her boots and leggings, then stood her up again briefly, unlacing her bodice quickly so he could pull her dress over her head. After that, her undergarments were simple to remove, so when he sat her back down again, she was completely nude.</p>
<p>Her skin glowed in his enhanced vision, the minimal light reflecting off of her scars. Her hair tumbled down over her shoulders, mussed from him taking her clothes off, and her hazel eyes shone as she gazed up at him, his own eyes the only thing she could really see in the room.</p>
<p>Her hands reached out to find him again. He let her search, enjoying watching her as he reached down and cupped one heavy breast in his hand, squeezing it gently, flicking her nipple. She shivered as the rough pad of his thumb stroked the peak to full hardness within moments.</p>
<p>He switched hands and did the same to the other breast, licking his lips, his mouth watering at the thought of sucking on them. It was one of his favorite things to do to her.</p>
<p>But he knew he’d be waiting some time for that tonight as her hand firmly grasped the base of his cock, her other curling around his hip as she pressed her lips against his shaft and began flicking her tongue slowly up the throbbing length.</p>
<p>“Do you remember the first time you sucked my cock, Robin?”</p>
<p>He could see her blush, smell the blood rushing beneath the surface of her cheeks. “Yes,” she murmured as she reached his tip, her lips resting against it gently.</p>
<p>He slid one hand into her hair, gathering it up in his palm and hanging onto it lightly. “You were so eager to please,” he reminded her. “I enjoyed it greatly. I had to guide you that night, and you were nervous. I know you’re not nervous anymore, but since we’re in the dark, I’d like to guide you again.”</p>
<p>She nodded as she sealed her lips over his tip and started to suck, moaning softly around him. She hovered there, waiting as he tightened his grip on her hair and slowly started to push her down, swallowing roughly and taking a deep breath as he watched his cock disappear between her lips.</p>
<p>Her hand slid up his chest, her fingers finding the dips and rises of his muscles as he pulled her head back up, then almost immediately pushed it down again. She followed his rhythm, starting to move the hand gripping the base of his cock, stroking what wasn’t in her mouth at the same pace.</p>
<p>His free hand wandered over her back, tracing her spine. He pushed her down a little further the next time she bobbed her head, craving her mouth around all of him.</p>
<p>She moaned again as she took him deeper. She hadn’t really thought she’d enjoy doing this for him, but she’d wanted to try it at least once. She’d been shocked to find that she actually loved it.</p>
<p>Especially his reactions. Feeling him completely hard for her, filling her mouth while he panted, his hips eventually lifting when he could no longer resist holding her head down on him and claiming her lips, made her feel oddly powerful.</p>
<p>The sounds of her sucking filled the room as he moved her faster, more roughly, every breath that escaped him raspier than the last. Her fingers tugged at the hair on his chest and he pulled her head up a bit so he could thrust into her mouth instead of moving her on him.</p>
<p>He’d finished in her mouth the first time because she’d wanted him to, but truthfully, he didn’t prefer it. He would always prefer finishing deep inside her.</p>
<p>So, despite her eagerness, he pulled her head off of him, grunting as she sealed her mouth tightly, sucking him hard on the way up, only letting him go with a loud pop when he tugged harder.</p>
<p>He gazed down at her, swiping his thumb over her swollen lower lip, brushing her hair back from her face. She sighed and bit at his thumb, her long lashes fluttering against her cheeks.</p>
<p>He inhaled deeply. She was more than ready for him. She was right on the edge.</p>
<p>In one fluid movement, he pushed her back onto the bed, pulling her wrists over her head and holding them tightly as he mounted her, spreading her legs and pushing inside her as deep as he could go.</p>
<p>She cried out and instantly came around him, her toes curling, all of her muscles clenching deliciously around his wet dick. Instead of slowing, though, he moved faster, his hands pressing her wrists into the bed.</p>
<p>Her breasts bounced against his chest as her legs wrapped around his waist. He could smell her increased arousal, and it only spurred him on.</p>
<p>He drove into her again, his breathing stuttering as she had another orgasm, drawing him right into his own at the same time. He moved through each spasm of her body until she was finished, then collapsed on top of her, putting his face between her breasts, dragging his hands down to push them together around his face.</p>
<p>Her hands found his hair and her hips arched as he kissed and kneaded her breasts, tugging on her nipples with his teeth.</p>
<p>“Geralt…” she whispered.</p>
<p>He kissed and tugged harder, being more forceful.</p>
<p>“I’m not done with you yet, Robin,” he promised.</p>
<p>She closed her eyes and cleaved to him. He could see every moment of ecstasy in her features, and even though he’d seen it all before, he didn’t think he would ever tire of it.</p>
<p>He’d ride her well into the night, only letting her rest when it was almost dawn. He was the one who had a job in town tomorrow, so she could sleep for most of the day and recover from the road and his attentions.</p>
<p>He hoped it could always be like this. That she wouldn’t grow tired of his companionship and choose to leave.</p>
<p>It was hardly a life that anyone wanted to live, and part of him felt unfair asking it of her. But he would, for as long as she would do it.</p>
<p>He didn’t need it. He could manage on his own just fine.</p>
<p>But he wanted her, and he never wanted her to be anyone else’s.</p>
<p>He just hoped he could make that happen.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Chapter Thirty-Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Robin continues to explore the mysteries of the bestiary.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Hengfors, 1242</b>
</p>
<p>“Dinner is served,” Jaskier announced, gesturing at the spread on the table.</p>
<p>There had only been one room in the inn, so they were all sharing. Geralt heaved himself out of the tub at Jaskier’s announcement, wrapping a towel around his waist before he sat down in a chair.</p>
<p>After a moment, he realized that Robin wasn’t joining them. He glanced back over his shoulder and noticed that she was still bent over the bestiary, just like she had been all day.</p>
<p>“Little mage,” he implored her, “take your nose out of that book and join us. You need to eat.”</p>
<p>“Geralt is right,” Jaskier agreed, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her to her feet, steering her back to the table.</p>
<p>Robin looked at them both in a daze. “Sorry,” she apologized. “I was reading.”</p>
<p>Geralt chuckled. “We know. What have you found?”</p>
<p>While he didn’t believe Yennefer’s plot would amount to anything in the end, Geralt was curious about what was in the book. He had never seen a copy before, which was unusual, considering its content. Robin had been trying to discover its provenance, but so far she had had no luck.</p>
<p>She was having a hard time reading it as well. It was cobbled together from multiple sources, it seemed. It contained multiple languages, some no longer in use anymore, as well as several script styles, not to mention illustrations that weren’t always easy to decipher.</p>
<p>Geralt had been helping her read it when he could. Robin could read most languages. She spoke a few less, but she was a quick learner. Geralt, by virtue of his profession and longevity, knew more than she did, and every so often, he could fill in the blanks.</p>
<p>She shrugged. “So far, nothing I didn’t already know. But there has to be something. Melcedem kept the book a secret, and Yennefer wanted it. There’s a clue in there somewhere. I just have to find it.”</p>
<p>She sighed and grabbed an olive. “It’s such a long and tedious process. I know I have to do it right, but I want to know what’s so important about it.”</p>
<p>“You’ll figure it out, sister,” Jaskier assured her. “You have plenty of time, don’t you? This Yennefer person doesn’t seem to have done anything just yet.”</p>
<p>“No,” Robin agreed, still looking put out about the whole situation.</p>
<p>“He’s right,” Geralt assured her. “You’ll get there.”</p>
<p>He reached out and smoothed some of her hair back behind her ear, smiling at her. Jaskier echoed the smile.</p>
<p>Robin finally smiled back and leaned her head against Geralt’s shoulder. “I will,” she agreed firmly.</p>
<p>“Good girl,” Geralt told her, kissing her forehead. “Now eat and relax. You can tackle it again tomorrow while I hunt.”</p>
<p>She nodded, reaching for some of the roasted duck, which was one of her favorite dishes, and a rare treat in an inn like this.</p>
<p>It had been a good day. She had gotten a lot done. But there was still so much more to go, and she was eager for a revelation.</p>
<p>She had to stop Yennefer, no matter how long it took. So much hung in the balance.</p>
<p>Particularly the life of the witcher sitting beside her.</p>
<p>She still wanted to prevent the spell from being cast for the greater good, but after the last few years, her motives were decidedly more personal.</p>
<p>She kept telling herself that it made sense. She hadn’t known someone who would be affected by the spell before. It was natural that she was concerned for Geralt now that she knew him so well.</p>
<p>It wasn’t deeper, despite what her brother said. It couldn’t be. Geralt didn’t have those sorts of relationships. And, at least right now, she didn’t want anyone but him.</p>
<p>Maybe one day that would change. But for now, she had a mission, and he was critical to completing it.</p>
<p>She was content, and that was what mattered.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Chapter Thirty-Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geralt and Jaskier are mistaken for a couple and Robin rolls with it.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Aedd Gynvael, 1242</b>
</p>
<p>Geralt entered the inn with Jaskier at his side. Robin was still in the market, and he was twitchy. He didn’t like leaving her, but he’d begun to draw attention and some of the vendors had started upping their prices simply because she’d been seen with a witcher. So she’d shooed him away to get a room with her brother.</p>
<p>Geralt was very protective of her. It was one thing when he left her behind because it was safer for her. But leaving her behind like that, when he could have stayed, definitely didn’t sit well with him.</p>
<p>Jaskier sniffed beside him. “You smell nice, you know that?”</p>
<p>“What?” Geralt growled, scanning the inn for any potential trouble.</p>
<p>“You smell nice. I wager you take far more baths now thanks to my sister.”</p>
<p>It was true, but hardly relevant, so Geralt ignored the comment. Jaskier hailed the innkeeper, who came over to them, already grumbling.</p>
<p>“Bad enough to have a witcher in town,” he spat. “But one that comes with a bard lover? Just our luck.”</p>
<p>Geralt’s eyes widened and he blinked. Before he could fix the mistake, though, Jaskier spoke. “Now, now, my good sir. Be tolerant. I’ll bring you excellent business. People from all over want to hear my songs. Besides, we can pay. We’d like dinner for three and two rooms if you have them. But one will do if you don’t.”</p>
<p>“I have two.”</p>
<p>The innkeeper looked at them expectantly.</p>
<p>Jaskier nudged Geralt. “Well, dear,” he drawled. “Pay him.”</p>
<p>Geralt narrowed his eyes at the bard, but reached for the pouch on his belt and gave the man his coin. Jaskier tugged him toward a table to wait for their meal, taking out his lute and tuning it carefully.</p>
<p>“Why didn’t you correct him?” Geralt hissed.</p>
<p>Jaskier shrugged and smiled. “Where’s the fun in that?” he wondered.</p>
<p>Robin came in not long after. Before she could look around, the innkeeper gruffly asked her what she needed.</p>
<p>“I’m looking for my companions,” she answered. “A witcher and…”</p>
<p>“The witcher and his bard lover?” the innkeeper snorted. “Figures. They’re over there.”</p>
<p>He nodded in their direction and Robin joined them, looking at them both curiously. “So you’re lovers, are you?”</p>
<p>She arched an eyebrow as Jaskier grinned. “The innkeeper’s assumption.”</p>
<p>“And one no one bothered to bring up,” Geralt muttered.</p>
<p>The innkeeper chose that moment to approach with their dinner. As he set everything down in front of them, Robin leaned forward and said, “I apologize if my companions make noise tonight in their room, sir. They can be quite rowdy when they get into it.”</p>
<p>The innkeeper huffed and hurried away, looking thoroughly scandalized.</p>
<p>Jaskier laughed loudly. “Your sense of humor’s improved, big sister,” he complimented her. “You used to be so grave, even when we were young.”</p>
<p>Geralt stared at her petulantly.</p>
<p>“What?” she teased him. “Am I not allowed to have a little fun?”</p>
<p>“I would never be with your brother,” Geralt informed her. “Not because he’s a man, but because he’s insufferable.”</p>
<p>She giggled, leaning against Jaskier as she started to eat. “Aw,” she cooed. “My poor witcher. I’ll make it up to you later, yes?”</p>
<p>He leaned back in his chair and continued pouting. Jaskier shook his head. “It’s too easy to get to you, Geralt,” he observed. “You’re like the big brother I never had and I love you. Completely platonically, of course.”</p>
<p>“Besides, think of it like this. If everyone here thinks Jas is with you, he probably won’t make an ill-advised liaison we have to run away from in the morning,” Robin pointed out.</p>
<p>“Hm,” Jaskier mused. “I hadn’t thought of that.”</p>
<p>Geralt finally smirked. “Payback for how much you nag us,” he decided.</p>
<p>“It’s just so much fun,” Jaskier admitted, shrugging and tearing a drumstick off of their chicken.</p>
<p>They ate their way through what the innkeeper had brought and more. Jaskier and Robin laughed the entire time, and eventually, even Geralt joined in.</p>
<p>If nothing else, Jaskier would have excellent material for a song about his and Geralt’s new relationship.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0034"><h2>34. Chapter Thirty-Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Geralt gives Robin and Jaskier a crash course in witcher potions and signs.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Pontar River, 1242</b>
</p>
<p>Jaskier helped Robin hang their washed clothes on a line, watching Geralt curiously as he worked. The witcher was organizing his potions, fastidiously cleaning each bottle before putting them back in his satchel.</p>
<p>“What do all of those do?” the bard asked. “I’ve always wondered.”</p>
<p>Geralt looked up, then motioned them over. “Don’t sit too close,” he advised. “These are dangerous. They’d kill a regular human.”</p>
<p>“I’ll remember that,” the bard murmured as Robin came to sit beside him.</p>
<p>“Potions are an important part of a witcher’s arsenal,” Geralt explained. “These are two of our most used.”</p>
<p>He held up two vials. “This one,” he said, extending one forward, “gives me better control over my body. Essentially, my reaction times will be faster. It’s got quite a few ingredients. Veratrum, stramonium, hawthorn, spurge, and others that have no name in human tongues.”</p>
<p>“This one,” he extended the other, “lets me see in complete darkness, even better than I do naturally. It turns my face white, and my eyes become entirely black because they’re basically all pupil. Any amount of actual light would hurt my eyes greatly after I drank it.”</p>
<p>“Do you need those even since you’re a…?” Jaskier trailed off.</p>
<p>He’d made it a habit to not say the word werewolf out loud. Geralt and Robin both thought it was silly, but endearing.</p>
<p>“My abilities are better than a natural human’s, but the potions still enhance them even further,” Geralt replied.</p>
<p>He returned the vials to his satchel. “What’s even more critical, especially during combat, are signs.”</p>
<p>“That’s your magic, isn’t it?” Jaskier chimed in.</p>
<p>Geralt nodded. “It’s the basest form of magic. Nothing as intricate as your sister’s.” He glanced at Robin and smiled. “Aard is the simplest.”</p>
<p>He made the sign with his fingers. “It creates a wave that pushes assailants back.”</p>
<p>His fingers moved as he went through several of his signs. “Heliotrop, or Heliotrope, cushions against impacts. Quen diverts enemies off course. And Yrden creates a temporary barrier.”</p>
<p>He glanced at Robin, making a final sign and pulsing magic through it towards her. “And Axii will calm a person or animal.” He shook his head at her gently. “You’ve been too tense lately.”</p>
<p>She sighed. “I know. I can’t get any better at magic without a mentor, it seems. And I don’t know where I’m going to find one.”</p>
<p>“We’ll find one,” Geralt promised softly. “I swear to you, little mage.”</p>
<p>“You know,” Jaskier broke in as a distraction, “none of these tricks seem as impressive as you merely swinging those big swords of yours.”</p>
<p>Geralt chuckled. “Well, ideally, I wouldn’t ever need more than a sword to solve any problem. But if it were that easy, people wouldn’t need witchers.”</p>
<p>“True enough,” Jaskier agreed, getting up and moving over to Cricket to unpack his own things.</p>
<p>Geralt reached out and tipped Robin’s chin up, looking into her eyes. “What would you think of us taking a few days to ourselves soon? You need to relax.”</p>
<p>“Big words, coming from you,” she teased softly.</p>
<p>“Please?”</p>
<p>That one word was enough to get him what he wanted. She softened and nodded.</p>
<p>“Yes, Geralt.”</p>
<p>“Thank you. I’ll come sit with you once I’ve finished.”</p>
<p>She nodded. “All right.”</p>
<p>He watched her as she sat down by the river and gazed at the horizon. She worked so hard, and yet she felt inadequate. He wished he could alleviate the feeling somehow.</p>
<p>Perhaps he would figure it out eventually. For now, all he could do was try and make her feel better however he could.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Chapter Thirty-Five</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jaskier hears a rumor that there’s another witcher in Temeria.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Hagge, 1243</b>
</p>
<p>Geralt’s promise was fulfilled when they reached Hagge. He rented a room for Robin and himself at the inn. Jaskier went off on his own.</p>
<p>They had barely left their bed for three days now. He had taken her over and over, determined to drive her worries from her mind.</p>
<p>And it appeared to have worked. He was sprawled out on his back, drenched in sweat, and she was curled up at his side, her head resting on his chest, her damp hair cascading over her shoulders, still smelling sweet.</p>
<p>He was threading his fingers through that hair when one of the innkeeper’s women entered the room. She stopped short when she saw him.</p>
<p>“Geralt? You’re here and you didn’t ask for me?”</p>
<p>He raised an eyebrow at her as Robin rolled onto her back and looked the woman up and down.</p>
<p>Geralt was proud of her. She didn’t cover herself with the blanket or attempt to hide her scars. She was growing more confident, and he enjoyed seeing it.</p>
<p>“Who are you?” Robin wondered.</p>
<p>“Danica,” the woman replied shortly. “I’ve never seen you working here before.”</p>
<p>“That’s because I’m not a whore,” Robin replied, sitting up. “No offense meant.”</p>
<p>Danica blinked. “You’re not?” Her eyes flicked to Geralt. “So, what? Are you in love now?”</p>
<p>Geralt chuckled. “Because I’m not sleeping with a whore?”</p>
<p>“Well, why else would you sleep with her? I recall you telling me you don’t form attachments.”</p>
<p>“I don’t, generally. And I told you that because you were rather doe-eyed and clearly wanted to accompany me.”</p>
<p>“I didn’t realize,” she admitted, staring down at her feet, her brow furrowed.</p>
<p>“Shouldn’t you know when someone’s pretending?” Geralt rumbled.</p>
<p>Before Danica could say more, Robin looked at her, pulling all of her hair over one shoulder. “You brought more food and drink?” she asked pointedly.</p>
<p>“Yes, of course.”</p>
<p>Danica brought a cart in and retrieved the one that was piled with their old plates and flagons. Geralt sat up slowly, smiling to himself as Robin leaned over and kissed the scar on his back, then the one on his belly, then the one on his thigh.</p>
<p>The gesture was subtle, but effective. Danica’s eyes darkened and she hurried out, muttering, “Blessed that prick with my fullest efforts, I did.”</p>
<p>The door slammed behind her and they were alone again.</p>
<p>“Have you slept with every whore in the world?” Robin wondered idly.</p>
<p>“Are you jealous?” Geralt growled playfully, grabbing her and lifting her into his lap, letting her feel his cock growing between her thighs as he cupped her breasts.</p>
<p>“There may be no love between us,” Robin observed quietly, “but I don’t like it when other women look at me as if they know your body better than I do. They don’t.”</p>
<p>“And no one else ever will, I promise you,” he assured her. “You are my one and only companion.”</p>
<p>“Mmm. You’re getting positively maudlin,” she purred, reaching down and grasping him tightly.</p>
<p>He lifted her, spearing her on his length, wrapping his arms around her as she dug her fingers into his shoulders and rode them both to a quick but intense climax.</p>
<p>As she flopped back in the sheets again, he got up and started to make them both plates, groaning as he heard a loud, familiar voice echo from the main room of the inn as it started singing a song.</p>
<p>“Is he back already?” Geralt sighed as he came back to the bed. “I’ll never be free of his songs.”</p>
<p>Robin giggled. “They’ve made you famous enough, and it generally works in your favor. Don’t complain.” She paused, then added, “You know his liaisons don’t last long. Not that I mind. It’s selfish, but I don’t want him to fall in love and abandon us.”</p>
<p>“It’s not selfish. You want to look after him.”</p>
<p>She sat up again as he fed her an olive. She grabbed his wrist and licked his fingers afterwards. “I’m not so sure about that,” she admitted.</p>
<p>They listened as Jaskier’s performance ended. Neither was surprised when their door opened and Jaskier waltzed in.</p>
<p>“Apparently,” he began without preamble, “a friend of yours passed through here about a month ago, Geralt.”</p>
<p>“Friend?” Geralt repeated idly. “You know I don’t have friends, Jaskier.”</p>
<p>“Besides us, yes, yes, I know.” Jaskier waved a hand dismissively, eating some roast chicken with the other as he continued with his mouth full. “Another witcher, I mean. He was going to Temeria, I’m told. Apparently some miners rounded up 3,000 orens to have some pest killed, but he ran with the money.”</p>
<p>“Hm,” Geralt hummed thoughtfully. “It’s far more likely that he was killed and eaten. People will say anything to cast witchers in a bad light.”</p>
<p>He looked to Robin. “We should go. There’s likely work there if he didn’t succeed.”</p>
<p>“He got killed and eaten, so you should go?” Robin replied tersely, looking up at her brother. “Where in Temeria?”</p>
<p>“Vizima,” he drawled, stretching the word out with his tongue. “Why does that sound familiar?”</p>
<p>“Because it’s where Geralt and I met, remember?” Robin reminded him. “Which means it’s risky, Geralt. What if someone else recognizes us?”</p>
<p>He shrugged. “The odds are low. And if they cause us trouble, I’ll kill them too.”</p>
<p>He kissed her and got up. “I’ll call for a bath.”</p>
<p>Robin hung her head. “Very well.”</p>
<p>Jaskier sat down beside her, completely ignoring the fact that she was naked. “Do you really think it’s dangerous?”</p>
<p>Robin snorted. “Isn’t it always with him?”</p>
<p>“True,” Jaskier agreed, smiling.</p>
<p>“I already asked him to leave Kerack and Bremervoord alone. I can’t ask for Vizima too.”</p>
<p>“You could,” Jaskier disagreed. “He’d leave it be if you did.”</p>
<p>“That doesn’t mean I should, Jas. This is his life. I don’t get to dictate how he lives it. Besides, he’s probably right. He killed the men who recognized us, and it’s been several years.”</p>
<p>She pushed Jaskier off the bed. “Shoo, Jas. Let us get ready.”</p>
<p>“Of course. I’ll be waiting.”</p>
<p>He kissed her cheek and then he was gone. Geralt returned not long after, several people trailing after him with a tub and water, including Danica.</p>
<p>She gave Robin a dark look before leaving and shutting the door behind her again.</p>
<p>Geralt sank into the tub. Robin got in after him, leaning back against his chest.</p>
<p>“Thank you for my three days, Geralt,” she murmured.</p>
<p>He kissed her forehead. “You’re welcome, little mage.”</p>
<p>He twirled some of her hair around his finger, kissing the locks. “We’ll be fine in Vizima.”</p>
<p>“I know.”</p>
<p>“Whoever this witcher was, he’s not as good as me.”</p>
<p>“I know.”</p>
<p>She tipped her head back and looked up at him, rolling her eyes affectionately. “I’m not mad at you, Geralt.”</p>
<p>“But you’re worried.”</p>
<p>She was always worried, but she generally didn’t mention it to him. What was she supposed to do? Ask him to become a farmer? That didn’t suit her purposes, and she couldn’t abandon her mission.</p>
<p>“I’ll get over it.”</p>
<p>He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed tightly. “You’re too good to me.”</p>
<p>She shook her head. “Hardly.”</p>
<p>He pushed her forward and started to wash her, paying special attention to her hair.</p>
<p>She was good to him. He was very aware of that. He hoped he was returning the favor well enough.</p>
<p>All he could do was try. And he’d keep trying, for as long as she gave him the opportunity.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0036"><h2>36. Chapter Thirty-Six</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Triss Merigold asks Geralt to help her cure a striga.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Vizima, 1243</b>
</p>
<p>Robin stared curiously at the sign affixed to a post as Geralt paused by it. “Temeria,” she read, “Realm of monsters and cowardly kings. Did you hear anything of this when you were here last?”</p>
<p>Geralt shook his head. “Several people at the inn told me they were having an undead problem. I killed the undead, with your help, of course. And then I left.”</p>
<p>“Left me on the road to fend for myself,” she quipped, nudging him.</p>
<p>“I came back for you,” he huffed, smirking.</p>
<p>“There’s a song in this somewhere,” Jaskier mused. “Something about a reunion, maybe.”</p>
<p>“It’s not a reunion if we’ve been together the whole time, Jaskier,” Geralt protested.</p>
<p>Jaskier shrugged. “A technicality easily fixed by the use of fiction,” he replied, shuddering as a crisp wind blew through them. “This place is very dreary, isn’t it?”</p>
<p>“It is,” Geralt agreed nonchalantly. “Let’s go.”</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>****</p>
</div>After an unsuccessful meeting with the miners and then Foltest’s guards, they were being escorted out of the city through the dark woods surrounding it. Robin was thankful that no one had seemed to recognize them, at least. That was something.<p>“What were they saying is plaguing them?” Jaskier whispered. “A vukodlak? What is that?”</p>
<p>“A minor form of undead,” Geralt explained. “It can’t possibly be what’s causing them all this trouble. But they don’t seem very interested in finding out more.”</p>
<p>Before the guards could respond to his jab, they all slowly slid from their horses onto the ground. Geralt was immediately alert as their armor clanked against the wet, cold, snow-covered dirt, leaping off of Roach and drawing his sword.</p>
<p>Robin grabbed Roach’s reins and looked around. “I sense magic,” she told him.</p>
<p>Geralt nodded as a low hiss echoed through the trees. “Witcher,” it said.</p>
<p>“Hold Roach,” Robin commanded, handing her reins to Jaskier and joining Geralt.</p>
<p>A woman appeared on the road before them. Her dress was green and gold, and her face was hidden by a large hood.</p>
<p>“You can put down your sword,” she told Geralt. “I’m not here to hurt you.”</p>
<p>“Says the witch hiding in the woods,” he growled.</p>
<p>Robin was tense beside him, threads of magic starting to whirl around her fingers. The woman’s head tilted curiously.</p>
<p>“Sorceress,” she corrected him.</p>
<p>“Witch,” he snarled.</p>
<p>She swept her hood back, revealing dark curls and a face decorated with freckles. “Much like the one standing beside you?” she inquired.</p>
<p>“She’s a mage,” Geralt replied shortly.</p>
<p>Robin found herself curious about the distinction, but decided it was something best discussed later.</p>
<p>“I am Triss Merigold,” the woman introduced herself. “I serve King Foltest.”</p>
<p>“So he makes a show of kicking me out, then sends his errand girl to slip me some coin so I kill his monster.”</p>
<p>Geralt relaxed his stance, though he didn’t sheathe his sword. He approached Triss with a sneer on his face.</p>
<p>“Not a very original plan for a king,” he decided.</p>
<p>“It’s my plan,” she revealed. “My coin. And I don’t want you to kill the beast. I want you to help me save it.”</p>
<p>Geralt peered at her skeptically. Now Robin relaxed behind him. She shut her eyes and dared to probe lightly at Triss’ chaos, but was quickly repelled.</p>
<p>“You weren’t trained by any magic school, were you?” Triss asked.</p>
<p>Robin shook her head, trying not to be embarrassed by her clumsy attempt at reading the other woman’s mind.</p>
<p>Geralt rose up to his full height and stepped closer to the sorceress. “Leave her be,” he warned her.</p>
<p>“You’re very protective of her,” she observed. “While her magic is obviously rudimentary, I imagine she can protect herself just fine. And don’t be so defensive. She tried to read me. Not the other way around.”</p>
<p>Geralt looked back at Robin and she shrugged apologetically.</p>
<p>“It seems we have many things to talk about,” Triss declared. “Let’s go to my tower. If you don’t like what I have to say, you can leave freely. I will not harm you. I promise.”</p>
<p>Geralt hesitated for a moment, then put away his sword. He looked at Robin once more and she nodded.</p>
<p>“Very well,” he agreed. “Let’s go.”</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>****</p>
</div>Triss’ tower was a spot of brightness in the dark castle. Jaskier had been right about a particular gloom shadowing everything in the city. It was even more present here. As they’d walked through the dusty hallways, it had been apparent that nothing had been cleaned in some time, for instance.<p>Robin thought it was like being inside a giant tomb, and she didn’t enjoy it, so she clung to Geralt’s arm. Despite the warmth and pleasant herbal smell of the room, there was a chill that refused to leave her.</p>
<p>Triss promptly explained her business. “Six years ago,” she started, “stablehands started vanishing at the castle above the city. Before long, citizens were disappearing throughout all Temeria.”</p>
<p>“Six years ago?” Jaskier chimed in. “But that was before…”</p>
<p>
  <i>Jas, stop. She doesn’t seem to know Geralt and I were here before.</i>
</p>
<p>He stopped speaking abruptly and tried to recover. “Um, before… some other thing I’m sure I heard about happening here, but can’t quite recall at the moment.”</p>
<p>Geralt gave him a stony stare. Triss merely continued, though Robin was sure she’d noticed the slip.</p>
<p>“Foltest’s royal guards soon realized the creature was coming from the crypt where the king’s sister Adda is buried.”</p>
<p>Robin thought back to the graveyard from years ago. There had been crypts there, certainly, but nothing that had struck her as royal. And all of them had been in disrepair. Adda’s crypt must have been somewhere else.</p>
<p>“Rumor has it she was having an affair with a young man in town when she died,” Triss revealed.</p>
<p>Geralt paused. “Was she pregnant?”</p>
<p>Jaskier looked confused, but understanding dawned on Robin’s face. She knew exactly where he was going with his line of questioning. If he was right, and she was sure he was, the creature he was looking for was something even most witchers would have only read or heard about, but not seen.</p>
<p>“Well, if she were,” Triss responded primly, “that would make her child the sole heir to the throne, as Foltest never married.”</p>
<p>Geralt remained silent, though it was now obvious to him why Triss wanted the creature saved and not merely stopped.</p>
<p>“The king fled the castle, ignoring the rising death toll,” Triss explained.</p>
<p>“Well, that explains why you took us to this dumpy one out in the country,” Jaskier commented.</p>
<p>“Jas, manners, please,” Robin muttered.</p>
<p>Triss didn’t seem offended, though. “After Nilfgaard overthrew their king, the Brotherhood couldn’t risk it happening again, so they sent me here three months ago to cure the creature.”</p>
<p>“Well, you haven’t been twiddling your thumbs for six years, at least, then,” Jaskier observed.</p>
<p>Robin tensed again at the mention of the Brotherhood. Though the organization had hardly been a concern of hers since Melcedem had hidden from them, being in the presence of one of their practitioners could be exceedingly dangerous for her.</p>
<p>Though the Brotherhood’s hard stance on necromancy was somewhat of a front, they were not above making an example of rogues like her. Though she hadn’t technically done anything wrong, she had no magical allies, and no one to protect her. Even Geralt couldn’t take on the Brotherhood. And she hoped he wouldn’t, even if they decided to take her, because it would surely mean his death.</p>
<p>At best, they would kill her quickly. At worst, they would shackle her in dimeritium, an alloy that suppressed magic, and abandon her in a cell for as long as they liked. And even she couldn’t predict how long her life would be.</p>
<p>Escaping from dimeritium was basically impossible, except for the strongest mages. And she knew she wasn’t strong enough.</p>
<p>She jumped as Triss touched her shoulder suddenly. “Relax, dear,” the sorceress soothed her. “I knew what you were the moment I sensed you.”</p>
<p>Geralt’s hand flew to his sword. “If this is a trap…” he snarled.</p>
<p>“It’s not. I also know that you are the necromancer who helped this very same witcher kill the cemetaur here years ago. Quite a noble deed.”</p>
<p>“Does that count for something with you?” Robin wondered softly.</p>
<p>“It does. We’ll talk of your magic soon.”</p>
<p>“We will?”</p>
<p>Triss nodded. “I can sense the desire in you for a teacher,” she said simply.</p>
<p>Robin swallowed back a retort about not wanting to be anywhere near the Brotherhood. If she was asking Triss to give her a chance, she had to give her the same in return.</p>
<p>“If you even think of hurting her in any way, I will cut you down without regret,” Geralt threatened.</p>
<p>Triss’ lips twitched, and Robin realized she was hiding a smile. “Duly noted,” she told the witcher. “Let’s carry on with the creature, shall we?”</p>
<p>“Vukodlaks are freak mutations,” Geralt explained. “They can’t be cured.”</p>
<p>Triss smiled. “Well, good thing it’s not a vukodlak. Come with me. I have several corpses you should look at below the castle.”</p>
<p>“Oh, joy,” Jaskier murmured. “I love looking at corpses.”</p>
<p>“You’re welcome to stay here if you wish,” Triss offered.</p>
<p>Geralt shook his head. “They stay with me until I decide if you can be trusted.”</p>
<p>“Very well,” Triss agreed easily, then led them down another set of stairs into several dank but well-lit tunnels.</p>
<p>“2,000 orens if you can tell me what exactly killed these people,” Triss challenged Geralt.</p>
<p>She led them to several bodies packed in salt. Geralt glanced at them briefly, studying their faces.</p>
<p>Robin watched Triss. The sorceress had stopped by one particular body, and she seemed nervous.</p>
<p>Jaskier had halted at the arch before the bodies. “I’ll stay here, thanks.”</p>
<p>Robin lingered by Geralt, though she was more interested in what Triss was looking at. Finally, Geralt turned his gaze in that direction. Immediately, his nostrils flared and he glared at Triss balefully.</p>
<p>She took a step closer to see what Geralt was seeing. The light glinted off of the silver medallion and she realized instantly. It was more crudely constructed than Geralt’s, but it bore the same wolf emblem his did.</p>
<p>Geralt yanked on the pendant, his gloves protecting his hands from the metal’s effects, and ripped the chain free. “You didn’t want the people to know that it bested a witcher,” he growled. “And you let them believe that he fled with their coin.”</p>
<p>“That gives him a bad name, you know,” Jaskier protested, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. “Just makes my job harder.”</p>
<p>Triss didn’t respond. The resolve on her face was clear. She had done what she thought best, and she wasn’t going to back down from that stance.</p>
<p>Geralt spared her several perturbed glances as he tucked the amulet into his belt, then proceeded to examine the other witcher’s body.</p>
<p><i>Did you know him?</i> Robin asked, not sure if he wanted Triss to be aware if he did or not.</p>
<p>“No,” Geralt said out loud.</p>
<p>Triss opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, looking at Robin. She nodded, seeming pleased, which Robin thought was odd.</p>
<p>Geralt brushed the salt aside, frowning as he reached into the witcher’s hollowed out body cavity.</p>
<p>Jaskier made a gagging noise as Triss commented, “You two clearly weren’t acquainted.”</p>
<p>Geralt straightened up. “His heart’s missing, along with his liver. Only one creature I know is that picky an eater.”</p>
<p>“A striga,” Robin whispered.</p>
<p>Geralt turned to her and nodded, smiling slightly at the demonstration of her knowledge.</p>
<p>“Strigas are old wives’ tales,” Triss responded uneasily.</p>
<p>“They’re very rare,” Geralt countered. “The only way to make one is through a curse.”</p>
<p>Now Triss looked even more uneasy. “Someone wanted Adda dead.”</p>
<p>“Mmhmm,” Geralt agreed. “But the curse didn’t stop with Adda. It turned her daughter into a monster.”</p>
<p>“Her daughter?” Triss echoed.</p>
<p>“Strigas are female,” Robin explained.</p>
<p>Geralt nodded. “And this striga is a princess,” he sighed heavily.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0037"><h2>37. Chapter Thirty-Seven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Triss agrees to be Robin’s teacher.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Vizima, 1243</b>
</p>
<p>They were back in Triss’ room, sitting around her table. Geralt had his arm around Robin’s waist as he stared at Triss across the flat wooden surface. Jaskier sat at the end so he could watch all of them at once.</p>
<p>“I’m willing to help you cure the striga,” Geralt broke the silence. “But you must swear that no harm will come to my companions while they’re here. Especially the mage. And you must promise not to bring the Brotherhood down upon her, even after we’re gone.”</p>
<p>“Those are easy promises to make,” Triss informed him. “You shall all be under my protection while you are here in Temeria, and I will not speak to the Brotherhood about your necromancer.”</p>
<p>Robin wrinkled her nose. “Please call me Robin. I prefer it to your undead appellation.”</p>
<p>Now that Triss had offered them her protection, she felt comfortable sharing her name. The sorceress had, of course, already known Geralt’s. She’d used it during their journey to the castle.</p>
<p>“Robin,” Triss repeated warmly. “I am very pleased to meet you. Though I can’t sense as much as I would like about you, I can sense that you seek a teacher, as I said before. I would like to be that teacher.”</p>
<p>“Can’t sense as much as you would like?” Jaskier broke in. When the sorceress glanced at him curiously, he waved at her. “Hi, Jaskier. Geralt’s best friend and personal bard, Robin’s devastatingly charming younger brother. Why can’t you sense as much as you would like, exactly? That seems important.”</p>
<p>“Well, Jaskier, your sister is cloaking herself,” Triss replied.</p>
<p>“I am?” Robin asked.</p>
<p>She hadn’t realized.</p>
<p>Triss nodded. “I didn’t think you realized you were doing it,” she explained. “You must have a very strong desire to stay hidden if you’re constantly producing the cloak, yet remain unaware of it.”</p>
<p>“You know what people think of my type of magic,” she murmured. “You know what might be done to me if the wrong person found out.”</p>
<p>She’d never discussed any of this with Jaskier or Geralt. Geralt knew already, and she didn’t want to scare her brother.</p>
<p>“What do you mean, might be done?” he wondered right on cue. “I knew you said they might take you away as a child, but…”</p>
<p>Geralt squeezed her comfortingly and asked for her assent with his eyes. She nodded, letting him speak.</p>
<p>“Necromancers are often executed by the Brotherhood to prove that they are appropriately policing magic, Jaskier,” he revealed. “Or worse. They’re imprisoned and experimented on.”</p>
<p>“Couldn’t they just escape using their magic?”</p>
<p>Jaskier’s voice was faint as he looked worriedly at his sister.</p>
<p>“They’d use dimeritium,” she told him. “It’s a metal that suppresses magic. They make whole cells out of it, and sometimes just manacles. It makes mages sick. It can even make them go mad.”</p>
<p>Jaskier was clearly horrified. “They would do that to one of their own?”</p>
<p>“They wouldn’t consider me one of their own, Jas. They’d say I was an abomination.”</p>
<p>“That is never happening to you, Robin,” Jaskier decided, putting his hands on the table. “Right, Geralt?”</p>
<p>“Never,” Geralt echoed, kissing Robin’s temple. “They’d have to get through me, and that’s not happening.”</p>
<p>Robin glanced up at him worriedly. “Don’t put yourself in danger for me, Geralt.”</p>
<p>He smoothed an errant lock of hair over her ear. “If you need protecting, Robin, I’m going to protect you,” he assured her. “Whatever the cost.”</p>
<p>He laid a finger over her lips before she could protest. Then he turned back to Triss, who was watching them intently.</p>
<p>“Why would you keep her a secret?” he asked bluntly. “What’s in it for you?”</p>
<p>“The Brotherhood doesn’t know everything,” Triss explained. “Though they’d like to think they do. Robin may be naturally talented at necromancy, but that doesn’t mean she’s a bad person. And I can already tell after even limited observation that she’s extraordinarily gifted with other magic as well. It only helps me to have a powerful ally not connected to the politics of the Brotherhood.”</p>
<p>“You’re very practical,” Geralt commented.</p>
<p>“I have to be. Our world is in upheaval, as you well know.”</p>
<p>He nodded. “So you want to teach Robin?”</p>
<p>“For both her benefit and mine, yes.”</p>
<p>“In return for what?” Robin inquired bluntly.</p>
<p>Teaching magic could be time-consuming, and there was always the risk that the person you trained would turn against you, whether it was justified or not.</p>
<p>“A friend,” Triss replied. “Sharing of any interesting information you run across. Magical ingredients procured by both you and Geralt. Help when I need it.”</p>
<p>It was a better answer than Robin had hoped for. She knew she’d be taking a chance on any mentor she sought out. Triss seemed skilled and logical, and even more than that, she seemed kind. She wanted to cure the striga, not kill it. That meant a lot to her, and she knew it meant a lot to Geralt too.</p>
<p>
  <i>I think we can trust her. I’d like her to teach me.</i>
</p>
<p>Geralt nodded. “We’ll start with the striga,” he told her. “I’ll try to cure her, as long as you begin helping Robin with her magic.”</p>
<p>“I will pay you for the striga, witcher. That is too much to ask of you without reward. But I appreciate the gesture.”</p>
<p>“Very well.”</p>
<p>Geralt stood. Robin reflexively stood with him, though she knew what he was going to say next.</p>
<p>“You and Jaskier can absolutely not come with me this time. It’s going to be far too dangerous.”</p>
<p>“I know,” Robin assured him. “Be careful.”</p>
<p>“I will. I promise.”</p>
<p>He leaned down and kissed her, his fingers resting delicately under her chin.</p>
<p>Jaskier stood and sighed. “Well, what am I supposed to do? Is there a tavern around here?”</p>
<p>“Please don’t, Jaskier. Everyone saw you with Geralt. They might take their anger at the previous witcher out on you,” Robin explained.</p>
<p>“King Foltest might be cheered by some song,” Triss suggested. “We need to go see him now to inform him of our plan.”</p>
<p>“Well, it’s not often that you get a chance to sing for a king,” Jaskier decided. “Oohh, that rhymes. I should do something with that.”</p>
<p>“Come. I’ll show you to the throne room after I change,” Triss said. “Once we have Foltest’s approval, we’ll figure out the rest from there.”</p>
<p>They waited while she dressed. Robin took Geralt’s cloak off and he sat obediently to let her fix his hair. She removed her own cloak and made sure she was presentable. Jaskier had already removed his and was tuning his lute. He enjoyed looking his best at all times, so he was already fit for an audience with a king.</p>
<p>Triss rejoined them and they followed her down into the castle proper.</p>
<p>Robin was nervous, but she was hoping she was making the right decision. She knew that Geralt would protect her if the worst were to happen, but she didn’t want it to come to that. She didn’t want anyone in danger because of her.</p>
<p>Jaskier caught her around the shoulders on their way down the stairs. “Relax, sister. I may not be as strong as your witcher, but I’ll protect you too.”</p>
<p>She nodded as he kissed her cheek, but her stomach flipped.</p>
<p>If either of them got hurt because of her, she would never forgive herself.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0038"><h2>38. Chapter Thirty-Eight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Foltest is reluctant to accept Geralt’s help.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Vizima, 1243</b>
</p>
<p>“King Foltest,” Triss announced, “I present to you the witcher Geralt of Rivia and his traveling companions, Robin and the bard Jaskier. Geralt is going to help us solve our problems with this creature, once we ascertain exactly how it came to be.”</p>
<p>Robin appreciated Triss’ lack of specificity regarding her role in the trio. The fewer people who knew she was a mage, the better.</p>
<p>“Do you know what it is yet?” the king asked gruffly.</p>
<p>“She’s a striga,” Triss explained. “A girl changed into a monster by a curse upon her mother.”</p>
<p>Foltest himself was no prize to look upon, it turned out. Though he was dressed in finery, his crown was crooked, and he ate with very little care, juices smearing over the expensive jewels he wore on his fingers. His hair was thin and graying. He was hardly the image a ruler wanted to project, and yet he didn’t seem to mind.</p>
<p>“Miss Merigold,” one of the guards berated her, “you were dispatched to settle a family affair, not to enlist a mutant mercenary for a game of sleuthing.”</p>
<p>“This is no game, Captain,” Triss replied firmly. “Tonight is a full moon, so we must act now, and Geralt has already proved himself to be invaluable. We believe we can cure the creature.”</p>
<p>“You say she’s a girl,” the captain repeated. “Then you will refer to her as Her Royal Highness.”</p>
<p>“Segelin,” another man broke in, “I believe urgency warrants flexibility in court decorum.”</p>
<p>“The witcher’s theory is nonsense,” Segelin declared. “Princess Adda was the people’s angel. Who’d wish to murder her?”</p>
<p>“What about her lover?” Geralt suggested.</p>
<p>Foltest had been steadily eating the entire time, but he stopped when Geralt brought up Adda’s lover.</p>
<p>Robin decided to try something. <i>Have you read his mind?</i> she asked Triss silently.</p>
<p><i>Foltest’s?</i> No, the sorceress’ voice replied in her head.</p>
<p>Robin was pleased to find that her telepathy could work with others she was unfamiliar with. So far, she’d only tried it with Geralt and Jaskier.</p>
<p>
  <i>Why not?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>It seemed imprudent. I work for him, strictly speaking.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>He’s hiding something from you. Something that would help.</i>
</p>
<p>Without asking permission, she dived into Foltest’s head to grasp at the images dancing there.</p>
<p>She saw a young man and woman, tangled sheets, hurried whispers in the corners of corridors, and then a tomb.</p>
<p><i>He’s the father of the striga</i>, she told Triss.</p>
<p>Triss’ eyes darted sideways to her, wide with surprise.</p>
<p><i>I didn’t see anything about him cursing her</i>, Robin added. <i>It must have been someone else.</i></p>
<p>“Seditious rumors,” Segelin protested. “Idle courtesans trading out boredom for jealousy.”</p>
<p>Triss composed herself. “Perhaps if you called off your guards, if we were able to search the abandoned castle, we could find clues as to who cursed her.”</p>
<p>“Except this witcher would kill the princess as she sleeps,” Segelin accused Geralt, “and collect the miners’ coin.”</p>
<p>“Call her a princess,” Geralt growled.</p>
<p>Triss turned to him, warning him with her eyes. Jaskier bit his lip so he didn’t laugh, knowing the warning was a lost cause. He was behaving because he was hoping for a rich reward from Foltest for his singing, as unlikely as that seemed.</p>
<p>“Call her a unicorn if you’d like to,” Geralt continued. “She grew inside Adda, feeding on her petrified womb.”</p>
<p>“Have you no respect?” Segelin snapped.</p>
<p>“Mutating,” Geralt insisted, walking forward to confront the captain. “Growing for years ‘til she got so hungry, she was forced to slither out.”</p>
<p>Segelin’s hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. Though she hated it, Robin did nothing. She didn’t need everyone in this room knowing she had magic.</p>
<p>“Rotten muscle, bent bones, two spidery legs, claws dragging in the dirt. An overgrown abortion.”</p>
<p>“Enough,” Foltest ordered, his voice soft.</p>
<p>“Your Highness?” Segelin asked, bowing to him immediately.</p>
<p>“Leave,” Foltest demanded.</p>
<p>Geralt briefly considered not leaving, then dismissed the thought. It wasn’t worth arguing when he had so little time to come up with a plan. He looked at Triss, then turned and made for the doors, catching the small of Robin’s back in his hand as he walked past her and taking her with him.</p>
<p>“Oh, are we really going?” Jaskier wondered in confusion, tripping over his own feet to follow them.</p>
<p>Geralt opened the door, keeping Robin at his side. When he bowed to the others and let them leave first, she knew exactly what he was doing. Jaskier followed the procession willingly. Only Segelin hesitated. Geralt stared him down, then shoved him through the doors, slamming them shut so only he, Robin, and Foltest were left in the room.</p>
<p>Geralt locked the door as Segelin pounded on it. “Open the door! Protect the king!”</p>
<p>Robin felt the flare of magic as Triss provided protection for Jaskier, which she appreciated. She turned with Geralt to face Foltest.</p>
<p>Geralt leaned against the chair at the opposite end of the table from Foltest and stared him down next. “Who’s the princess’ father?”</p>
<p><i>Do you already know?</i> Robin asked.</p>
<p>Geralt nodded for her benefit as Foltest replied, “My men will kill you, witcher.”</p>
<p>Geralt paced back to Foltest’s end of the table, veering off to the window. “Hm. It’s funny,” he observed. “You learn that your sister was murdered, and you didn’t even flinch.”</p>
<p>He crossed his legs as he leaned against the side table, looking very comfortable, like the situation didn’t bother him at all. “But the moment I mention the girl’s father…”</p>
<p>He trailed off as Foltest made a point of not looking at him. “Why were you never married?” Geralt wondered.</p>
<p>He was a king, after all. It didn’t make sense for him not to be married.</p>
<p>Foltest leaned back and took his time answering. When he finally did, he merely said, “You are speaking to a king.”</p>
<p>“That is exactly my point,” Geralt argued. “Why not produce your own heir? Why not kill the striga and avoid this revolt? Why drag this all out?”</p>
<p>Foltest said nothing.</p>
<p>“Between you and me,” Geralt repeated, “who is the striga’s father?”</p>
<p>Foltest’s lips shook as he stood. “I remember hearing stories about witchers when I was a child,” he told Geralt. “Is it true what they say? That the mutations that grant you your… abilities also erase your emotions?”</p>
<p>Robin bit her lip. She’d never asked Geralt about his supposed lack of emotion. At times, he was unerringly logical, like when he’d agreed to cure this striga, and at others, he was not, like when he’d vowed to protect her even if the entire Brotherhood came after her. He also seemed to possess a great deal of empathy. She didn’t know how that would be possible if he didn’t have feelings.</p>
<p>It was also a question she didn’t really want an answer to. While their relationship was only physical and practical, she had come to care for him deeply, and she was well aware that if she let herself get too comfortable, that could easily turn into more.</p>
<p>The idea that that could happen to her, but not to him, was rather intolerable, if she was being entirely honest with herself.</p>
<p>“Must be,” Foltest continued without an answer. “‘Cause only a man devoid of all heart could accuse a brother of bedding his murdered sister while urging him to kill her.”</p>
<p>Segelin had been banging on the door this entire time. Now they flew open, and him and several other guards raced in, followed by Triss and Jaskier.</p>
<p>Foltest held up his hand to stop them.</p>
<p>“Leave Temeria,” he ordered Geralt. “Never return.”</p>
<p>Geralt gazed at him much longer than the king could have found comfortable, then strode from the room. Robin fell into step beside him.</p>
<p>
  <i>Stay, Jas. See if he’ll let you sing for him.</i>
</p>
<p>Jaskier looked startled, but nodded.</p>
<p>Geralt smiled at Triss as he walked past her. She looked troubled, but didn’t say anything.</p>
<p>“My king,” Jaskier began grandly, “perhaps a song sung by a noble bard and played on a pristine elven lute would calm you?”</p>
<p>“Would you abandon your traveling companion so quickly?” Foltest grunted.</p>
<p>“He’s more of an acquaintance than anything,” Jaskier lied smoothly. “I must go where the coin is, and trust me, witchers don’t have much.</p>
<p>Foltest laughed, then shrugged as he sat back down. “Why not? Let’s see if you’re any good.”</p>
<p>Jaskier started to play as Geralt and Robin proceeded down the hallway. Robin was more than a little concerned, but she trusted that Geralt had a plan.</p>
<p>And Jaskier could handle himself for a few hours.</p>
<p>Probably.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0039"><h2>39. Chapter Thirty-Nine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Triss and Robin talk about magic.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Vizima, 1243</b>
</p><p>Geralt sat on a rock observing the castle that contained Adda’s crypt. Robin was beside him. She had about a thousand things she wanted to discuss with him, but they would all have to wait. The striga was more important right now.</p><p>It wasn’t long before Triss joined them. “You were told to leave Temeria,” she said bluntly.</p><p>Robin laughed. “Why does anyone assume you do what you’re told?” she asked Geralt.</p><p>He chuckled along with her. “You have good views,” he replied, gesturing at the castle.</p><p>“Are you going to kill her?” Triss demanded.</p><p>Geralt turned and looked at her. “I don’t want the miners’ coin,” he assured her.</p><p>“Or mine, apparently,” Triss argued. “What is this girl to you? Why do you care?”</p><p>“You first,” Geralt decided nonchalantly. “I saw how Foltest and his boy spoke to you. Why help those who won’t listen?”</p><p>Triss sighed. “I’m sure someone as legendary as you has already figured out several ways to get past Segelin’s guards.”</p><p>Geralt pointedly threw a rock onto the bridge. The guards ran away.</p><p>“It’s always simpler than people think,” Robin pointed out.</p><p>“Take Robin back to your tower,” Geralt instructed Triss as he stood. “I’ll look into the striga and see if I can discover how to cure her.”</p><p>“Geralt…” Robin protested.</p><p>He took her shoulders in his hands and looked down at her tenderly. “What did I tell you before? This is far too dangerous for you. Stay safe, and I’ll return to you when I’m finished.”</p><p>“Do you promise?” she whispered.</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>She wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed up onto her tiptoes, kissing him fiercely. He held her tightly as he kissed her back.</p><p>Triss watched as Robin reluctantly separated from Geralt. She looked anxious about leaving the witcher to his own devices.</p><p>“I gave you my word, did I not?” Geralt wondered. “I’m the only one who can help you. No matter what, it’s going to come to a fight with the striga.”</p><p>“Very well. I’ll do as you say. I suppose if you betray me, I’ll know soon enough.”</p><p>“Yes, you will,” Geralt hummed, turning and walking towards the abandoned castle.</p><p>Robin gazed after him until he disappeared from view, then turned to Triss. “We should go,” she murmured.</p><p>Triss fell into step beside her. “What’s between you and the witcher?” she wondered.</p><p>“Is that relevant to my training?” Robin replied lightly.</p><p>Triss laughed in spite of herself. “No. I’m merely curious.”</p><p>“We travel together because we have similar goals,” Robin revealed. “That naturally turned into a physical relationship. But that’s all it is.”</p><p>“Hm,” Triss hummed noncommittally.</p><p>Robin shook her head. “Don’t start sounding like my brother, please,” she insisted.</p><p>“All right, I won’t,” Triss acquiesced.</p><p>“He’ll keep his promise,” Robin assured Triss. “He’s not like other witchers I’ve read about. He has his own code for deciding who and who isn’t a monster.”</p><p>“That’s good to know,” Triss confessed.</p><p>They walked in silence for a moment before she suggested, “Let’s talk about your magic. Before anything else, I need to know everything. How your magic manifested, what you’ve learned, what you’ve done, whether purposefully or accidentally.”</p><p>“Well, it’s a good thing we have a while,” Robin confessed, then started to tell her story.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>****</p>
</div>Hours later, they sat in Triss’ tower, drinking tea. “That’s quite a tale,” the sorceress observed.<p>Robin nodded. “I suppose it is,” she agreed.</p><p>She had been completely honest with Triss, even though it was a huge risk. She’d decided that if she was going to have a mentor, she wanted the best experience possible, so she couldn’t hold anything back.</p><p>Except for the fact that Geralt was a werewolf, of course. She hadn’t told Triss that. That was his secret to tell, not hers.</p><p>“And what do you want out of your magical training?” Triss wondered. “What’s your goal?”</p><p>“I want to learn everything I can,” Robin said slowly, trying to collect all of her thoughts. “I want to not need anyone to protect me. I want to be able to protect people instead. Particularly, I need to be able to cast more freely in a tense situation. Usually I can’t manage very well unless necromancy is involved. And I’d like to master healing magic, considering how useful it is.”</p><p>“All admirable goals,” Triss agreed. “Sadly, the last one isn’t possible.”</p><p>“It isn’t?” Robin’s eyes widened. “Why?”</p><p>“The reason you haven’t been able to master even the simplest of healing spells is because your natural power lies in necromancy,” Triss explained. “Necromancy is death. Healing is life. While many mages can become proficient at both, the primary source of their power would lie somewhere else, such as in an element. That’s not the case for you.”</p><p>Robin sighed. “Lucky me.”</p><p>Triss laughed. “It’s not failure on your part, if that’s what you were wondering. It’s simply the way things are. And that’s fine, Robin. There is plenty more for you to master, and as you’ve just learned, not all of the relevant details are in books. You’ve already started brewing about healing potions, for instance. There’s nothing stopping you from using those.” She paused to take a sip of tea. “Are there any other questions you have?”</p><p>Robin hesitated. She had read many books about magic, but Triss was right. She had no way of knowing if the information was accurate, or if more existed that the author hadn’t known or written down.</p><p>Finally, she began. “What determines where someone’s natural magic comes from?”</p><p>Triss shrugged. “No one knows. It seems to be purely chance.”</p><p>Robin nodded. “I expected that answer, though it’s still frustrating,” she admitted.</p><p>“I know,” Triss agreed, laughing again.</p><p>“The… heat my body seems to generate when I don’t want someone to touch me. Where does that come from?”</p><p>“Well, you seem to have some innate ability in fire magic as well. You said it’s the easiest element for you to cast. But I also imagine it comes from your desire, much like the cloaking I mentioned does.” Triss paused. “You know what fuels the most powerful magic, don’t you?”</p><p>“Creativity,” Robin answered immediately. “It’s a simplification, but essentially, if you can imagine it, you can make it real.”</p><p>“Very good,” Triss complimented her. “The cloak and the heat are you manifesting your desires creatively. If you break it down and figure it out, you could probably cast those effects on command.”</p><p>“Well, that’s something to think about,” Robin admitted.</p><p>“Indeed it is.”</p><p>“What about the scars?” Robin added.</p><p>“Probably some form of absorption, I’m guessing, since you said they hurt the user, but not you.”</p><p>“And the cloak is the reason no one from a magic school ever found me?”</p><p>“Most likely.”</p><p>“And is desire why the astromancy worked for me too, even when I didn’t have all the information I needed to find Geralt?”</p><p>“That I’m honestly not sure about,” Triss confessed. “Strictly speaking, no matter how much desire you had, that spell shouldn’t have worked for you. Some magical requirements can’t be overcome by desire, or they wouldn’t be requirements at all. But magic is mysterious, and sometimes you can’t explain what happened, exactly.”</p><p>Robin nodded, filing that piece of information away for later. Before she could ask another question, Triss did. “Why did you help him in the graveyard? Why did you risk revealing your magic?”</p><p>“Because it was the right thing to do,” Robin told her. “He might have died, and if he had, I certainly would have. I knew it was a risk when I did it, but the reward outweighed that risk, is the easiest way to explain it, I think.”</p><p>Robin paused. “I’ve passed out several times after using too much magic. I did in the graveyard that day.”</p><p>“It happens if you expend too much energy. It can kill you if you’re not careful enough. As you grow more skilled, you’ll be better able to gauge how much you can actually handle. The same goes for your desire to cast spells during combat or other similar situations. You need to learn to be more aware of what’s going on around you and keep a level head, then you’ll be able to cast more easily. It comes with practice.”</p><p>Robin took a drink of her own tea and thought about everything they’d discussed so far. Triss leaned forward and gently laid her hand over Robin’s.</p><p>“Might I make an observation?” she requested.</p><p>“Of course,” Robin responded.</p><p>“I think your power is so great because your intentions are so pure,” Triss revealed. “You genuinely want to help others. Not for your own personal glory, or for a reward. For years, you were repressed, partly because of your master, but also because you believed you had no purpose. Discovering this Yennefer’s plot gave that purpose back to you. And saving Geralt and helping him and others along the way fuels you. Your mind is also extraordinarily unlimited. Many mages never reach their full potential simply because they can’t imagine it. But I think you can imagine your full potential. Perhaps even beyond it.”</p><p>“I’m glad a traditional magic school didn’t find you, Robin,” Triss confessed. “I think they would have beaten everything out of you that makes you extraordinary.”</p><p>Robin flushed at the compliment. “Well, thank you,” she murmured. “Honestly, I thought you’d be more critical since I read Foltest’s mind.”</p><p>“The Brotherhood has their own code of conduct. It is in my best interest to adhere to it. If your motivations were selfish, I might be critical of you, but I believe you have the best interests of the people of Temeria at heart. And since you’re not in the Brotherhood, you are beholden to no such code.”</p><p>Robin’s blush deepened. She wasn’t used to being complimented on anything, except by her brother and Geralt, and as far as she was concerned, they didn’t really count.</p><p>After a moment of profound silence, Robin recovered herself. “Can we talk about Yennefer?” she wondered.</p><p>“Of course,” Triss agreed.</p><p>“Do you know her?”</p><p>“I know of her, yes. She’s stationed in Aedirn. She’s always been rather unorthodox. She’s not very fond of the Brotherhood’s rules. Not that I agree with all of them either, but there’s generally a reason for their actions.”</p><p>“When we met, Geralt said he doubted she could even succeed in her plans. Could she? What would it take to make a spell of that magnitude?”</p><p>“It would take an astronomical amount of planning and creative power,” Triss mused. “And even then, it would still be wildly inaccurate and unpredictable. Though monsters have similarities, they’re all vastly different, and that makes targeting them even more difficult.”</p><p>“Well, what if the spell were anchored to one of those similarities? Their vulnerability to silver, for instance?”</p><p>“In theory, it’s a good idea,” Triss admitted. “But in practice, it’s too vague. Most mages learn either specific skills, like portals, or draw their power from the elements. Silver isn’t particularly involved in any kind of magic. It would likely be too much for even a skilled mage to wrap their head around and use.”</p><p>“My guess is that Yennefer will use one of those elements mixed with general Chaos to create her spell. The anchor will be secondary, which is a mistake, but one a lot of mages make. I can’t say for sure, of course, but if someone twisted my arm,” Triss finished.</p><p>“I think that makes sense. If Melcedem was right about Yennefer’s motivations, I think she’s too selfish to effectively create the spell. She’s not doing it for creative purposes. It’s more like she’s mad at the world.”</p><p>“I’m glad you’re not creating the spell, Robin,” Triss mentioned. “I think you might be able to succeed.”</p><p>“I won’t be testing that anytime soon,” Robin assured her.</p><p>“Good,” Triss laughed. “I’m going to draw up a training regimen for you, and we’ll determine exactly how it will work since you’ll be traveling.”</p><p>Robin looked up. “I don’t have to stop traveling?” she asked happily.</p><p>Triss shook her head. “If you stay with me, the Brotherhood will notice you. And the experience has been good for you so far. It will continue to be.”</p><p>“Thank you, Triss. For everything you’ve done so far, and for everything you’re going to do.”</p><p>“You’re welcome, Robin. I hope we can be friends as well.”</p><p>“I think we can.”</p><p>Robin turned and looked out the window. The sun was setting, and that meant that Geralt was likely making preparations.</p><p>She had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. This was the most dangerous thing she’d ever personally seen him undertake, and it worried her.</p><p>“I’m sure he will be fine, Robin.”</p><p>“He’s always been before,” Robin answered vaguely.</p><p>It wasn’t really an answer, and they both knew it. They also both knew they were in for a very long night.</p>
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